Free cash flow
Fastenal Free cash flow increased by 3.7% to $319.50M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 54.7%, from $206.50M to $319.50M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 14.4% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $136.90M | $120.00M | $114.50M | $194.50M | $103.70M | $209.90M | $259.10M | $354.80M | $246.20M | $341.20M | $317.70M | $284.80M | $201.90M | $237.50M | $222.60M | $206.50M | $209.30M | $326.60M | $308.20M | $319.50M |
| QoQ Change | — | -12.3% | -4.6% | +69.9% | -46.7% | +102.4% | +23.4% | +36.9% | -30.6% | +38.6% | -6.9% | -10.4% | -29.1% | +17.6% | -6.3% | -7.2% | +1.4% | +56.0% | -5.6% | +3.7% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -24.3% | +74.9% | +126.3% | +82.4% | +137.4% | +62.6% | +22.6% | -19.7% | -18.0% | -30.4% | -29.9% | -27.5% | +3.7% | +37.5% | +38.5% | +54.7% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Fastenal's free cash flow?
- Fastenal (FAST) reported free cash flow of $319.50M in Q1 2026.
- How has Fastenal's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Fastenal's free cash flow increased by 54.7% year-over-year, from $206.50M to $319.50M.
- What is the long-term trend for Fastenal's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Fastenal's free cash flow has grown at a 14.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $613.50M to $1.05B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.