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Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) and the best and worst performers in the maintenance and repair distributors industry.
Supply chain and inventory management are themes that grew in focus after COVID wreaked havoc on the global movement of raw materials and components. Maintenance and repair distributors that boast reliable selection and quickly deliver products to customers can benefit from this theme. While e-commerce hasn’t disrupted industrial distribution as much as consumer retail, it is still a real threat, forcing investment in omnichannel capabilities to serve customers everywhere. Additionally, maintenance and repair distributors are at the whim of economic cycles that impact the capital spending and construction projects that can juice demand.
The 9 maintenance and repair distributors stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.8%.
While some maintenance and repair distributors stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 2.6% since the latest earnings results.
Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST)
Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally.
Fastenal reported revenues of $1.82 billion, up 3.7% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 1%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
The stock is up 4.3% since reporting and currently trades at $78.
Read our full report on Fastenal here, it’s free.
Best Q4: MSC Industrial (NYSE:MSM)
Founded in NYC’s Little Italy, MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) provides industrial supplies and equipment, offering vast and reliable selection for customers such as contractors
MSC Industrial reported revenues of $928.5 million, down 2.7% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.7%. The business had a stunning quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
However, the results were likely priced into the stock as it’s traded sideways since reporting. Shares currently sit at $80.11.
Is now the time to buy MSC Industrial? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q4: Transcat (NASDAQ:TRNS)
Serving the pharmaceutical, industrial manufacturing, energy, and chemical process industries, Transcat (NASDAQ:TRNS) provides measurement instruments and supplies.