Fastenal Company (FAST) Stock Price & Analysis
Market: NASDAQ • Sector: Industrials • Industry: Industrial - Distribution
Fastenal Company (FAST) Profile & Business Summary
Fastenal Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, North America, and internationally. It offers fasteners, and related industrial and construction supplies under the Fastenal name. The company's fastener products include threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers, which are used in manufactured products and construction projects, as well as in the maintenance and repair of machines. It also offers miscellaneous supplies and hardware, including pins, machinery keys, concrete anchors, metal framing systems, wire ropes, strut products, rivets, and related accessories. The company serves the manufacturing market comprising original equipment manufacturers; maintenance, repair, and operations; and non-residential construction market, which includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal, and road contractors. It also serves farmers, truckers, railroads, mining companies, schools, and retail trades; and oil exploration, production, and refinement companies, as well as federal, state, and local governmental entities. The company distributes its products through a network of 3,209 in-market locations and 15 distribution centers. Fastenal Company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Winona, Minnesota.
Key Information
| Ticker | FAST |
|---|---|
| Exchange | NASDAQ |
| Official Site | https://www.fastenal.com |
Market Trend Overview for FAST
One model, two time views: what the market looks like right now, and where the larger trend is heading over time.
SRE (WhaleQuant Structural Regime Engine) SRE evaluates how price structure evolves across daily and weekly timeframes to define the prevailing market regime. Beyond identifying trends, consolidations, and exhaustion phases, it distinguishes between raw structural strength and deployable participation quality. The model dynamically adjusts for structural context and extension risk, assessing whether conditions are supportive, stretched, fragile, or structurally impaired. Its purpose is not to forecast precise price levels, but to determine whether risk deployment is aligned with underlying market structure.
Longer-Term Market Trend (Mid to Long Term)
Shows the bigger market trend, how strong it is, and where risks may start to build over the next few weeks or months. — Updated as of 2026-08-17 (ET)
As of 2026-08-17, FAST is moving sideways without a clear direction. Over the longer term, the trend remains bullish.
FAST last closed at 51.23. The price is about 0.4 ATR above its recent average price (50.86), and the market is currently in a sideways market without a clear direction. Price at 51.23 is moving between minor support near 46.35 and minor resistance near 52.92. Direction remains unclear. View Support & Resistance from Options
The market is moving sideways, with no clear direction. Both upside and downside risks remain in play.
Trend score: 35 out of 100. Overall alignment is unclear. The market is currently in a sideways market without a clear direction. The longer-term trend is still positive, but short-term signals are not yet confirming it.
A key downside risk boundary is near 46.04. If price falls below this area, the current structure would likely weaken further.
A systematic trend-activation signal was most recently triggered on 2026-07-28, reflecting a technical shift toward positive directional alignment.
[2026-07-24] Price moved quickly and looked strong, but participation was limited.
Recent bars show mixed price behavior without a clear shift in structural quality or efficiency.
There was no clear sign of meaningful positions being carried into the overnight session.
As of 2026-08-10, price has extended significantly above its primary volume area, entering a liquidity-thin zone. While the uptrend remains intact, the risk of chasing strength has increased.
The model sees a credible bullish edge, with 61.8% upside probability, strong signal alignment, and reward/risk that remains meaningfully favorable.
Up probability is 61.8%, with predictability at 65% and signal agreement at 86%. Reversal risk is 14%, while reward/risk stands at 0.31. That suggests the directional case is supported by broad confirmation and still retains usable quality.
NOTE: This next-day up/down probability forecast module is still being tested for accuracy. Please do not rely on it for investment decisions. The model does not account for black swan events or company-specific fundamental news, and its estimates are based solely on technical conditions, capital flow, and market sentiment. View forecast history
This estimate uses 1-minute price, volume, and VWAP data from the last 18 trading days, with turnover-based decay. The sample period is 2026-07-23 to 2026-08-17. The current price is 51.23, 3.47% above the estimated average cost of 49.51. An estimated 67.7% of recent positioning is below the current price, while 31.9% is above it. The peak-density price is 51.44. The largest concentrated cost region is 47.27 to 47.91 and contains 17.7% of the estimated distribution. The current price is within the 51.19 to 51.51 cost region. The nearest region below the current price is 50.93 to 51.15. The nearest region above the current price is 51.63 to 52.25.
Short Interest & Covering Risk for FAST
This analysis looks at overall short interest positioning, focusing on the broader setup rather than short-term noise.
Shows how likely a short squeeze may be under current market conditions.
Short Exposure Percentile
Short interest is above its usual range, suggesting rising pressure on short positions, though not yet extreme. (Historical percentile: 72%)
Structure Analysis
FAST Short positioning looks normal. Current days to cover is 4.3 trading days, meaning short positions could unwind at a normal pace. Short covering is likely to have a normal impact on price moves. No meaningful structural fragility is currently detected (Fragility Score 19/100, DTC percentile 38%) despite a strong upward price move (20D return 14.5%) with short positioning continuing to expand.
Risk Summary
No clear bull trap characteristics detected. Recent price behavior remains broadly consistent with current positioning.This reading helps confirm that current price action remains structurally healthy and does not indicate elevated trap risk.
Why Price Reactions May Be Stronger?
In the latest reporting period, short interest continues to increase. Price action is compressing (range is tightening), which can make breaks more sensitive. Adaptive thresholds applied to liquidity weakness, near-high detection, and compression sensitivity. As a result, similar news or market events could lead to price moves about 1× larger than usual.
Note:
Short interest data is reported every two weeks by
FINRA.
The most recent snapshot is
2026-07-31 (ET).
Because this data updates slowly, it is not intended to predict short-term price moves. Instead, it helps describe longer-term market structure and where pressure may be building if prices begin to move.