Fastenal (FAST Quick QuoteFAST - Free Report) reported $1.9 billion in revenue for the quarter ended March 2024, representing a year-over-year increase of 1.9%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares to $0.52 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of -0.98% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.91 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.53, the EPS surprise was -1.89%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Fastenal performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Business days: 64 Days versus 64 Days estimated by five analysts on average.
• Daily sales: $29.60 compared to the $29.90 average estimate based on four analysts.
• Number of in-market locations: 3,464 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 3,455.
• Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations: 115,653 versus 114,462 estimated by two analysts on average.
• Number of active Onsite locations: 1,872 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 1,868.
• Number of branch locations: 1,592 versus 1,587 estimated by two analysts on average.
• Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings: 6,726 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 6,286.

View all Key Company Metrics for Fastenal here>>>

Shares of Fastenal have returned -0.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.