Fastenal Company Reports 2025 First Quarter Earnings

Fastenal Company (collectively referred to as ‘Fastenal’ or by terms such as ‘we’, ‘our’, or ‘us’), a leader in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies, announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2025. Except for share and per share information, or as otherwise noted below, dollar amounts are stated in millions. Throughout this document, percentage and dollar calculations, which are based on non-rounded dollar values, may not be able to be recalculated using the dollar values included in this document due to the rounding of those dollar values. References to daily sales rate (DSR) change may reflect either growth (positive) or contraction (negative) for the applicable period.

Quarterly Results of Operations

Sales

Net sales increased $64.3, or 3.4%, in the first quarter of 2025 when compared to the first quarter of 2024. There was one less selling day in the first quarter of 2025 relative to the prior year period and, taking this into consideration, our net daily sales increased 5.0% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2024. This was helped by the absence of Good Friday in March of 2025. Excluding these effects, results reflected contribution from improved customer contract signings over the past twelve months, which was partially offset by sluggish underlying business activity. Changes in foreign exchange rates negatively affected sales in the first quarter of 2025 by approximately 50 basis points as compared to having an immaterial impact in the first quarter of 2024.

We experienced an increase in unit sales in the first quarter of 2025. This was due to a growth in the number of customer sites spending $10K or more per month with Fastenal and, to a lesser degree, growth in average monthly sales per customer site across all customer spend categories. The impact of product pricing on net sales was not material in the first quarter of 2025 and 2024. Price levels remained relatively stable in the first quarter of 2025.

From a product standpoint, we have three categories: fasteners, including fasteners used in original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO), safety supplies, and other product lines, the latter of which includes eight smaller product categories, such as tools, janitorial supplies, and cutting tools. With industrial production still sluggish in the first quarter of 2025, the performance of our fastener product line continued to lag our non-fastener product lines. The fastener category experienced growth in the first quarter of 2025 after seven consecutive flat or declining quarters. This was driven by easier comparisons and increased contribution from large customer signings. We achieved growth in our safety category reflecting the lower volatility of PPE demand, which tends to be utilized in more MRO than OEM applications, growth of our vending installed base, and success with warehousing and data center customers. Other product lines experienced growth from MRO-oriented lines, such as electrical and janitorial, rather than from OEM-oriented lines, such as cutting tools and welding/abrasives, reflecting continued soft manufacturing demand.

From an end market standpoint, we have four categories: heavy manufacturing, other manufacturing, non-residential construction, and other, the latter of which includes reseller, government/education, and transportation/warehousing. Our manufacturing end markets outperformed primarily due to the relative strength we are experiencing with key account customers with significant managed spend where our service model and technology are particularly impactful. This disproportionately benefits manufacturing customers. Other end market sales were favorably impacted by growth with warehousing and storage, and data center customers, which was partially offset by declining sales with resellers.

From a customer standpoint, we have two categories: contracts, which include national multi-site, local and regional, and government customers with significant revenue potential, and non-contracts, which include all other customers. Sales with our contract customers continue to outperform as we realize incremental sales from implementing strong customer signings that we have achieved over the last 12 months, which was partially offset by subdued business activity. Non-contract customers tend to be smaller and utilize fewer of our tools and capabilities, providing fewer avenues for share gains and therefore more closely reflect business trends, which remain sluggish.

Supplemental Data

Prior to 2025, our disclosed metrics primarily addressed development of capabilities, including branch openings, geographic expansion, growth of national accounts, growth of non-fastener products, FMI installations, and Onsite signings, to name a few. The data provided in the chart below measures the number of customer sites that are served throughout our in-market network, categorizing them by monthly customer spend categories and end market, and the sales and average sales per site. We believe this supplemental information may be useful to investors in evaluating Fastenal’s business trends and whether and to what degree we are being successful, and we intend to disclose this information quarterly going forward until management determines otherwise. 

FMI Technology comprises our FASTStock^? (scanned stocking locations), FASTBin^® (infrared, RFID, and scaled bins), and FASTVend^® (vending devices) offerings. FASTStock’s fulfillment processing technology is not embedded, is relatively less expensive and highly flexible in application, and is delivered using our proprietary mobility technology. FASTBin and FASTVend incorporate highly efficient and powerful embedded data tracking and fulfillment processing technologies. The first statistic is a weighted FMI^® measure, which combines the signings and installations of FASTBin and FASTVend in a standardized machine equivalent unit (MEU) based on the expected output of each type of device. We do not include FASTStock in this measurement because scanned stocking locations can take many forms, such as bins, shelves, cabinets, pallets, etc., that cannot be converted into a standardized MEU. The second statistic is sales through FMI Technology, which combines the sales through FASTStock, FASTBin, and FASTVend. A portion of the growth in sales experienced by FMI, particularly FASTStock and FASTBin, reflects the migration of products from less efficient non-digital stocking locations to more efficient, digital stocking locations.

We signed 6,418 weighted FASTBin and FASTVend devices in the first quarter of 2025. Our goal for weighted FASTBin and FASTVend device signings in 2025 remains between 28,000 to 30,000 MEUs.

Gross Profit

Our gross profit, as a percentage of net sales, decreased to 45.1% in the first quarter of 2025 from 45.5% in the first quarter of 2024. Our gross profit percentage was primarily impacted by three factors. First, customer and product mix diluted our gross profit percentage. This reflects relatively stronger growth from large customers, including Onsite-like customers, and non-fastener products, each of which tend to have a lower gross profit percentage than our business as a whole. Second, we experienced higher fleet and transportation costs due to inflation in vehicle costs as we cycle our fleet and in third-party freight costs. Third, the aforementioned negative effects on our gross profit percentage were partly offset by increases in supplier incentives due to expanding spend with key suppliers.

SG&A Expenses

Our SG&A expenses, as a percentage of net sales, were 25.0% in the first quarter of 2025 versus 24.9% in the first quarter of 2024. Our ability to leverage was impacted by having one less selling day in the first quarter of 2025 as compared to the first quarter of 2024, as operating expenses are not managed around monthly selling days. We also experienced growth in SG&A of 3.9% in the first quarter of 2025 versus net sales growth of 3.4% in the same period.

Employee-related expenses, which represent 70% to 75% of total SG&A expenses, increased 2.3% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2024. We experienced a modest increase in employee base pay due to higher average FTE and, to a lesser degree, higher average wages during the period, as well as higher health insurance costs. This was partly offset by lower incentive pay and profit sharing expense versus the first quarter of 2024.

Occupancy-related expenses, which represent 15% to 20% of total SG&A expenses, increased 6.3% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2024. This was primarily a result of increases in a number of cost categories, including general inflation in branch rental costs and utilities, incremental depreciation and other costs associated with hub investments and upgrades, and slightly higher depreciation from an increase in the installed base of FMI hardware.

Combined, all other SG&A expenses, which represent 10% to 15% of total SG&A expenses, increased 10.4% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2024. Selling-related transportation costs were higher, reflecting higher lease costs as we refreshed our fleet of pick-ups, which were partially offset by lower fuel expense. We had relatively smaller increases in bad debt expense, information technology (IT) expenses, sales-related travel expense, and realized losses on currency conversion, which were partially offset by increases in joint marketing efforts with our suppliers.

Operating Income

Our operating income, as a percentage of net sales, decreased to 20.1% in the first quarter of 2025 from 20.6% in the first quarter of 2024.

Net Interest

We had lower interest income reflecting a reduction in capital being invested in higher-earning short-term instruments during the period. We had lower interest expense as a result of slightly lower borrowings through the first quarter of 2025. The greater reduction in interest income relative to interest expense resulted in our generating net interest expense of $0.8 in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $0.4 in the first quarter of 2024.

Income Taxes

We recorded income tax expense of $94.4 in the first quarter of 2025, or 24.0% of income before income taxes. Income tax expense was $92.1 in the first quarter of 2024, or 23.6% of income before income taxes. We believe our ongoing tax rate, absent any discrete tax items or broader changes to tax law, will be approximately 24.5%. Our tax rate in the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2024 was below our expected ongoing tax rate due to the tax benefits associated with the exercise of stock options during each period.

Net Income

Our net income during the first quarter of 2025 was $298.7, an increase of 0.3% compared to the first quarter of 2024. Our diluted net income per share was $0.52 in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $0.52 in the first quarter of 2024.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

Net cash provided by operating activities was $262.2 in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 21.8% from the first quarter of 2024, representing 87.8% of the period’s net income versus 112.7% in the first quarter of 2024. The decrease in operating cash flow, as a percent of net income, primarily reflects our operating assets and liabilities being a more significant use of cash in the first quarter of 2025 as compared to a modest use of cash in the first quarter of 2024.

The increase in our accounts receivable balance in the first quarter of 2025 was primarily attributable to growth in sales with our customers, including relative growth with larger customers that tend to carry longer payment terms.

The increase in our inventory balance in the first quarter of 2025 was primarily attributable to three factors. First, we added inventory to support projected growth in our business and, to a lesser extent, the anticipated impact of tariffs. Second, our inventory increased as a result of growth in sales with certain customers and the addition of stock to ensure we can support their future growth. Third, we added inventory to support our fastener expansion and optimal package quantity initiatives, which are intended to improve service to our in-market locations and generate efficiencies in our hubs.

The increase in our accounts payable balance in the first quarter of 2025 was primarily attributable to an increase in our product purchases as reflected in the growth in inventories.

During the first quarter of 2025, our investment in property and equipment, net of proceeds from sales, was $53.8, which was a slight increase from $48.3 in the first quarter of 2024. This was primarily related to an increase in spending for facility construction and upgrades, FMI hardware to support growth in our installed base, IT and manufacturing.

For 2025, we continue to expect our investment in property and equipment, net of proceeds from sales, to be within a range of $265.0 to $285.0, an increase from $214.1 in 2024. This increase reflects three items. First, we expect higher distribution center spending to complete our upgraded Utah hub, begin construction on a new Atlanta hub, and improve our picking capacity and efficiency across our hub network. Second, we expect elevated IT spending as projects that were expected in 2024 experienced delays and will occur in 2025. Third, we expect greater outlays for FMI hardware reflecting an increase in our targeted signings.

During the first quarter of 2025, we returned $246.7 to our shareholders in the form of dividends, compared to the first quarter of 2024 when we returned $223.2 to our shareholders in the form of dividends. We did not repurchase any of our common stock in either period.

Total debt on our balance sheet was $200.0 at the end of the first quarter of 2025, or 5.1% of total capital (the sum of stockholders’ equity and total debt). This compares to $200.0, or 5.5% of total capital, at the end of the first quarter of 2024.

For full results click here.

About Fastenal

Fastenal provides a broad offering of industrial supplies, including fastener, safety, and metal cutting products, to manufacturing, construction, and state and local government customers through more than 3,400 in-market locations (branches and customer-specific Onsite locations) spanning 25 countries. With continual investment in tailored local inventory, dedicated local experts, and flexible FMI^® (Fastenal Managed Inventory) and digital solutions, we help our business partners achieve product and process savings across the supply chain – a “high-touch, high-tech” approach encapsulated by our tagline, Where Industry Meets Innovation ^™ . Our local service teams are supported by 17 regional distribution centers, a captive logistics fleet, multiple teams of industry specialists and support personnel, and robust sourcing, quality, and manufacturing resources, enabling us to grow by getting closer to customers and providing innovative and comprehensive solutions to customer supply chain challenges.

Additional information regarding Fastenal is available on the Fastenal Company website at www.fastenal.com .

Contact:

Taylor Ranta Oborski – Financial Reporting & Regulatory Compliance Manager – (507) 313-7959

Source: Fastenal Company