Insider Trading January 27, 2026

Fastenal Senior Sales Executive Adds Small Stake as Q4 Results Draw Mixed Analyst Response

Charles S. Miller buys 40 shares across two transactions; Fastenal's Q4 2025 EPS met estimates while revenue and margins lag, prompting divergent analyst views

By Leila Farooq FAST
Fastenal Senior Sales Executive Adds Small Stake as Q4 Results Draw Mixed Analyst Response
FAST

Fastenal Co. Senior Executive Vice President of Sales Charles S. Miller reported two purchases totaling 40 shares of company common stock for $1,566. The trades coincided with the release of Fastenal's fourth-quarter 2025 results, which delivered earnings per share in line with expectations but missed on revenue and gross margin. Analysts remain divided, with UBS keeping a Neutral rating and Bernstein maintaining an Underperform stance.

Key Points

  • Senior Executive Vice President of Sales Charles S. Miller purchased 40 shares of Fastenal common stock in two transactions on April 7 and April 14, 2025, spending $1,566 in total.
  • Fastenal's fourth-quarter 2025 results showed EPS of $0.26, meeting Wall Street expectations, while revenue and gross margin underperformed - sales rose 11% but gross margin missed by 50 basis points; analysts from UBS and Bernstein responded with differing ratings.
  • Sectors impacted include Industrials and Distribution as the results and analyst commentary touch on sales trends, margin pressures and onsite operations that are material to industrial supply chains.

Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) reported insider buying by a senior sales executive this month. Charles S. Miller, the company's Senior Executive Vice President of Sales, filed a Form 4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission documenting two separate purchases of Fastenal common stock.

The trades took place on April 7, 2025 and April 14, 2025. On each date Miller acquired 20 shares at $39.15 per share, bringing the total outlay across both transactions to $1,566.

After these purchases Miller holds 40 shares directly and has an indirect holding of 27,301 shares through a 401(k) account, according to the filing.


These filings come amid Fastenal's reporting of its fourth-quarter 2025 financial results. The company posted earnings per share of $0.26, matching consensus expectations. By contrast, Fastenal missed on revenue expectations: sales grew 11%, which aligned with the consensus projection, but gross margins came in 50 basis points below forecasts.

Analyst reactions to the quarter were mixed. UBS retained a Neutral rating on the stock and kept a $46.00 price target. UBS noted Fastenal's December sales growth of 10.7% year over year, describing that pace as below the typical seasonal benchmark of 14%.

Meanwhile, Bernstein reiterated an Underperform rating with a $38.00 price target. Bernstein highlighted that Fastenal's operating profit fell short of expectations by 2.3% and cited onsite closures as a contributing factor to its view.

The combination of the modest insider purchases and the company's reported quarter have produced a range of analyst perspectives on near-term performance. The filings and the earnings release together offer data points for investors monitoring insider activity, sales trends and margin dynamics at the industrial distributor.

Where the public filings and the earnings release provide concrete figures, interpretation remains varied among market participants and analysts, as reflected in the diverging ratings and price targets issued by UBS and Bernstein.

Risks

  • Fastenal missed on gross margin by 50 basis points in Q4 2025 - a margin shortfall that may signal cost or pricing pressures affecting the industrial distribution sector.
  • December sales growth of 10.7% year over year was below the normal seasonal expectation of 14%, per UBS - a sales slow-down risk that could affect near-term revenue trajectories for industrial distributors.
  • Operating profit fell 2.3% short of expectations and onsite closures were cited by Bernstein as a factor - operational disruptions remain an uncertainty for Fastenal and related industrial services.

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