Analysts on Wall Street project that Fastenal (FAST) will announce quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share in its forthcoming report, representing no change year over year. Revenues are projected to reach $1.94 billion, increasing 2.5% from the same quarter last year.

Over the last 30 days, there has been a downward revision of 0.3% in the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter, leading to its current level. This signifies the covering analysts' collective reconsideration of their initial forecasts over the course of this timeframe.

Before a company announces its earnings, it is essential to take into account any changes made to earnings estimates. This is a valuable factor in predicting the potential reactions of investors toward the stock. Empirical research has consistently shown a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and the short-term price performance of a stock.

While investors usually depend on consensus earnings and revenue estimates to assess the business performance for the quarter, delving into analysts' forecasts for certain key metrics often provides a more comprehensive understanding.

Given this perspective, it's time to examine the average forecasts of specific Fastenal metrics that are routinely monitored and predicted by Wall Street analysts.

Analysts predict that the 'Business days' will reach 63.00 Days. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 64 Days.

Analysts' assessment points toward 'Daily sales' reaching $30.75. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported $29.60 in the same quarter of the previous year.

Based on the collective assessment of analysts, 'Number of in-market locations' should arrive at 3,676. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 3,464.

Analysts expect 'Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations (MEUs; end of period)' to come in at 129,887. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 115,653.

The consensus among analysts is that 'Number of active Onsite locations' will reach 2,094. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 1,872 in the same quarter of the previous year.

The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Number of branch locations' of 1,583. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 1,592 in the same quarter last year.

Analysts forecast 'Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings (MEUs)' to reach 7,281. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 6,726 in the same quarter of the previous year.

View all Key Company Metrics for Fastenal here>>>

Fastenal shares have witnessed a change of -9.6% in the past month, in contrast to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -12.2% move. With a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), FAST is expected closely follow the overall market performance in the near term. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>

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