Operating Cash Flow
Fastenal Operating Cash Flow increased by 2.8% to $378.40M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 44.3%, from $262.20M to $378.40M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 13.9% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistently high operating cash flow indicates a healthy, self-sustaining business capable of funding its own growth and returning capital to shareholders.
Detailed definition
Net cash from operating activities measures the total amount of cash generated by a company's core business operations....
Peer comparison
Investors often compare this to capital expenditures to calculate Free Cash Flow, a primary valuation metric for mature tech giants.
net_cash_from_operatingHistorical 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 | $171.50M | $167.40M | $156.40M | $230.00M | $151.20M | $257.90M | $301.90M | $388.50M | $302.10M | $388.10M | $354.00M | $335.60M | $258.00M | $296.90M | $282.80M | $262.20M | $278.60M | $386.90M | $368.20M | $378.40M |
| QoQ Change | — | -2.4% | -6.6% | +47.1% | -34.3% | +70.6% | +17.1% | +28.7% | -22.2% | +28.5% | -8.8% | -5.2% | -23.1% | +15.1% | -4.7% | -7.3% | +6.3% | +38.9% | -4.8% | +2.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -11.8% | +54.1% | +93.0% | +68.9% | +99.8% | +50.5% | +17.3% | -13.6% | -14.6% | -23.5% | -20.1% | -21.9% | +8.0% | +30.3% | +30.2% | +44.3% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Fastenal's operating cash flow?
- Fastenal (FAST) reported operating cash flow of $378.40M in Q1 2026.
- How has Fastenal's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Fastenal's operating cash flow increased by 44.3% year-over-year, from $262.20M to $378.40M.
- What is the long-term trend for Fastenal's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Fastenal's operating cash flow has grown at a 13.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $770.10M to $1.30B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.