Fastenal Q3 2026: daily sales +15.5%, EPS $0.35 (+19.8%), operating margin 21.5%

FASTENAL CO

Net sales $2,463.3M, up 15.5% YoY on the same 64 business days; net income $401.6M (+19.7%) and diluted EPS $0.35 vs $0.29.
Operating margin 21.5% vs 20.7% (up 90 bps) as SG&A fell to 23.3% of sales; gross margin slipped 40 bps to 44.8% on larger-customer mix.
Contract customer daily sales rose 18.8% and were 76.5% of sales; heavy manufacturing DSR +20.2%; non-residential construction grew for a sixth straight quarter.
Returned $328.4M to shareholders (dividends $298.2M, buybacks $30.2M), 81.8% of net income; total debt fell to $100.0M from $195.0M.
2026 capex guidance held at $310-330M vs $230.6M in 2025; FASTBin/FASTVend signing goal trimmed to 27,000-29,000 MEUs from 28,000-30,000.

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