Fastenal Company Reports 2023 First Quarter Earnings
Fastenal Company (Nasdaq: FAST) reported its financial results for Q1 2023, showing net sales of $1,859.1 million, a 9.1% increase compared to Q1 2022. Daily sales rose to $29.0 million, and net earnings increased to $295.1 million, with a diluted EPS of $0.52, up 10.4%. Gross profit, however, declined to 45.7%% of net sales due to changes in customer and product mix and elevated costs. Operating income rose by 9.8%% to $393.2 million. Fastenal opened 89 new Onsite locations, increasing active sites by 16.3%% year-over-year. The company's digital footprint also grew significantly, contributing to 54.1%% of sales. Operating cash flow improved substantially, reaching $388.5 million, an increase of 68.9%% year-on-year.
- Net sales increased 9.1% to $1,859.1 million.
- Net earnings rose 9.5% to $295.1 million.
- Daily sales grew 9.1% to $29.0 million.
- Diluted EPS increased 10.4% to $0.52.
- Operating cash flow surged 68.9% to $388.5 million.
- Gross profit margin decreased to 45.7% from 46.6%.
- Higher organizational costs impacted margins.
- Increased net interest expense to $3.5 million from $2.3 million.
PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
|
Three-month Period |
|||||||||
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
Change |
|||||
Net sales |
$ |
1,859.1 |
|
|
1,704.1 |
|
|
9.1 |
% |
|
Business days |
|
64 |
|
|
64 |
|
|
|
||
Daily sales |
$ |
29.0 |
|
|
26.6 |
|
|
9.1 |
% |
|
Gross profit |
$ |
850.0 |
|
|
793.3 |
|
|
7.2 |
% |
|
% of net sales |
|
45.7 |
% |
|
46.6 |
% |
|
|
||
Operating and administrative expenses |
$ |
456.8 |
|
|
435.3 |
|
|
5.0 |
% |
|
% of net sales |
|
24.6 |
% |
|
25.5 |
% |
|
|
||
Operating income |
$ |
393.2 |
|
|
358.0 |
|
|
9.8 |
% |
|
% of net sales |
|
21.2 |
% |
|
21.0 |
% |
|
|
||
Earnings before income taxes |
$ |
389.7 |
|
|
355.7 |
|
|
9.6 |
% |
|
% of net sales |
|
21.0 |
% |
|
20.9 |
% |
|
|
||
Net earnings |
$ |
295.1 |
|
|
269.6 |
|
|
9.5 |
% |
|
Diluted net earnings per share |
$ |
0.52 |
|
|
0.47 |
|
|
10.4 |
% |
Quarterly Results of Operations
Net sales increased
The impact of product pricing on net sales in the first quarter of 2023 was 290 to 320 basis points compared to the first quarter of 2022. The increase reflects carryover from broad pricing actions taken in the prior year designed to mitigate marketplace inflation for our products and services and, to a lesser degree, targeted actions in the first quarter of 2023 intended to address gross margin pressure for our non-fastener and non-safety products. Spot prices in the marketplace for many inputs remained below prior year levels, though in many cases they were at or above levels experienced in the fourth quarter of 2022. The combination of good demand, more stable cost trends, and our long supply chain for imported fasteners and certain non-fastener products produced stable price levels for our products. The impact of product pricing on net sales in the first quarter of 2022 was 580 to 610 basis points.
From a product standpoint, we have three categories: fasteners, safety supplies, and other product lines, the latter of which includes eight smaller product categories, such as tools, janitorial supplies, and cutting tools. The DSR change when compared to the same period in the prior year and the percent of sales in the period were as follows:
|
DSR Change |
|
% of Sales |
|||||
Three-month Period |
Three-month Period |
|||||||
|
2023 |
2022 |
|
2023 |
2022 |
|||
Fasteners |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Safety supplies |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Other |
|
|
|
|
|
Our end markets consist of manufacturing, non-residential construction, and other, the latter of which includes resellers, government/education, and transportation/warehousing. The DSR change when compared to the same period in the prior year and the percent of sales in the period were as follows:
|
DSR Change |
|
% of Sales |
|||||
Three-month Period |
Three-month Period |
|||||||
|
2023 |
2022 |
|
2023 |
2022 |
|||
Manufacturing |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Non-residential construction |
- |
|
|
|
|
|||
Other |
- |
|
|
|
|
We report our customers in two categories: national accounts, which are customers with a multi-site contract, and non-national accounts, which include large regional customers, small local customers, and government customers. Sales to most of our national account customers grew in the first quarter of 2023 over the prior year, as our sales grew at 82 of our Top 100 national account customers. The DSR change when compared to the same period in the prior year and the percent of sales in the period were as follows:
|
DSR Change |
|
% of Sales |
|||||
Three-month Period |
Three-month Period |
|||||||
|
2023 |
2022 |
|
2023 |
2022 |
|||
National Accounts |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Non-National Accounts |
|
|
|
|
|
Our gross profit, as a percentage of net sales, declined to
Our operating income, as a percentage of net sales, increased to
Employee-related expenses, which represent
Our net interest expense was
We recorded income tax expense of
Our net earnings during the first quarter of 2023 were
Growth Driver Performance
-
We signed 89 new
Onsite locations (defined as dedicated sales and service provided from within, or in proximity to, the customer's facility) in the first quarter of 2023. We had 1,674 active sites onMarch 31, 2023 , which represented an increase of16.3% fromMarch 31, 2022 . Daily sales through ourOnsite locations, excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsites, grew roughly20% in the first quarter of 2023 over the first quarter of 2022. This growth is due to contributions from Onsites activated and implemented over the last twelve months, as well as continued growth from our olderOnsite locations. Our goal forOnsite signings in 2023 remains between 375 to 400.
- FMI Technology is comprised of our FASTStock℠ (scanned stocking locations), FASTBin® (infrared, RFID, and scaled bins), and FASTVend® (vending devices) offering. FASTStock's fulfillment processing technology is not embedded, is relatively less expensive and highly flexible in application, and delivered using our proprietary mobility technology. FASTBin and FASTVend incorporate highly efficient and powerful embedded data tracking and fulfillment processing technologies. Prior to 2021, we reported exclusively on the signings, installations, and sales of FASTVend. Beginning in the first quarter of 2021, we began disclosing certain statistics around our FMI offering. The first statistic is a weighted FMI® measure which combines the signings and installations of FASTBin and FASTVend in a standardized machine equivalent unit (MEU) based on the expected output of each type of device. We do not include FASTStock in this measurement because scanned stocking locations can take many forms, such as bins, shelves, cabinets, pallets, etc., that cannot be converted into a standardized MEU. The second statistic is revenue through FMI Technology which combines the sales through FASTStock, FASTBin, and FASTVend. A portion of the growth in sales experienced by FMI, particularly FASTStock and FASTBin, reflects the migration of products from less efficient non-digital stocking locations to more efficient, digital stocking locations.
The table below summarizes the signings and installations of, and sales through, our FMI devices.
|
Three-month Period |
|||||||||
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
Change |
|||||
Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings (MEUs) |
|
5,902 |
|
|
5,329 |
|
|
10.8 |
% |
|
Signings per day |
|
92 |
|
|
83 |
|
|
|
||
Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations (MEUs; end of period) |
|
104,673 |
|
|
94,425 |
|
|
10.9 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
FASTStock sales |
$ |
236.7 |
|
|
198.5 |
|
|
19.3 |
% |
|
% of sales |
|
12.6 |
% |
|
11.5 |
% |
|
|
||
FASTBin/FASTVend sales |
$ |
503.7 |
|
|
412.0 |
|
|
22.2 |
% |
|
% of sales |
|
26.8 |
% |
|
23.9 |
% |
|
|
||
FMI sales |
$ |
740.4 |
|
|
610.5 |
|
|
21.3 |
% |
|
FMI daily sales |
$ |
11.6 |
|
|
9.5 |
|
|
21.3 |
% |
|
% of sales |
|
39.4 |
% |
|
35.4 |
% |
|
|
Our goal for weighted FASTBin and FASTVend device signings in 2023 remains between 23,000 to 25,000 MEUs.
-
Our eCommerce business includes sales made through an electronic data interface (EDI), or other types of technical integrations, and through our web verticals. Daily sales through eCommerce grew
48.7% in the first quarter of 2023 and represented21.9% of our total sales in the period.
Our digital products and services are comprised of sales through FMI (FASTStock, FASTBin, and FASTVend) plus that proportion of our eCommerce sales that do not represent billings of FMI services (collectively, our Digital Footprint). We believe the data that is created through our digital capabilities enhances product visibility, traceability, and control that reduces risk in operations and creates ordering and fulfillment efficiencies for both ourselves and our customers. As a result, we believe our opportunity to grow our business will be enhanced through the continued development and expansion of our digital capabilities.
Our Digital Footprint in the first quarter of 2023 represented
Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
We produced operating cash flow of
The dollar and percentage change in accounts receivable, net, inventories, and accounts payable as of
|
|
|
Twelve-month
|
Twelve-month
|
||||||||
|
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
2023 |
2023 |
||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
|
$ |
1,149.8 |
|
1,071.6 |
$ |
78.2 |
|
7.3 |
% |
||
Inventories |
|
|
1,651.9 |
|
1,600.8 |
|
51.1 |
|
3.2 |
% |
||
Trade working capital |
|
$ |
2,801.7 |
|
2,672.4 |
$ |
129.3 |
|
4.8 |
% |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
Accounts payable |
|
$ |
266.8 |
|
289.9 |
$ |
(23.2 |
) |
-8.0 |
% |
||
Trade working capital, net |
|
$ |
2,534.9 |
|
2,382.5 |
$ |
152.5 |
|
6.4 |
% |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
Net sales in last three months |
|
$ |
1,859.1 |
|
1,704.1 |
$ |
155.0 |
|
9.1 |
% |
Note - Amounts may not foot due to rounding difference.
The increase in our accounts receivable balance in the first quarter of 2023 is primarily attributable to two factors. First, our receivables increased as a result of expanding business activity and resulting growth in our customers' sales. Second, we continue to experience a shift in our mix due to relatively stronger growth from national account customers, which tend to carry longer payment terms than our non-national account customers.
The increase in our inventory balance in the first quarter of 2023 is primarily attributable to supporting the improved business activity of our customers. We were able to provide this support even while growing inventory at a slower rate than sales. This reflects the absence of supply disruptions from the prior year that we managed by deepening our inventory, especially imported inventory, and which has allowed us to begin gradually shortening our product ordering cycle.
The decrease in our accounts payable balance in the first quarter of 2023 is primarily attributable to the dissipation of supply disruptions from the prior year. That allowed us to gradually begin to shorten our product ordering cycle and reduce the volume of product purchases in the first quarter of 2023 versus the first quarter of 2022.
During the first quarter of 2023, our investment in property and equipment, net of proceeds from sales, was
During the first quarter of 2023, we returned
Total debt on our balance sheet was
Additional Information
The table below summarizes our absolute and full time equivalent (FTE; based on 40 hours per week) employee headcount, our investments related to in-market locations (defined as the sum of the total number of branch locations and the total number of active
|
|
|
Change |
|
Change |
|||||||
Since: |
Since: |
|||||||||||
|
Q1 |
Q4 |
Q4 |
Q1 |
Q1 |
|||||||
2023 |
2022 |
2022 |
2022 |
2022 |
||||||||
In-market locations - absolute employee headcount |
13,668 |
13,410 |
1.9 |
% |
12,855 |
6.3 |
% |
|||||
In-market locations - FTE employee headcount |
12,219 |
12,017 |
1.7 |
% |
11,644 |
4.9 |
% |
|||||
Total absolute employee headcount |
22,820 |
22,386 |
1.9 |
% |
21,167 |
7.8 |
% |
|||||
Total FTE employee headcount |
20,262 |
19,854 |
2.1 |
% |
18,958 |
6.9 |
% |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Number of branch locations |
1,660 |
1,683 |
-1.4 |
% |
1,760 |
-5.7 |
% |
|||||
Number of active |
1,674 |
1,623 |
3.1 |
% |
1,440 |
16.3 |
% |
|||||
Number of in-market locations |
3,334 |
3,306 |
0.8 |
% |
3,200 |
4.2 |
% |
|||||
Weighted FMI devices (MEU installed count) |
104,673 |
102,151 |
2.5 |
% |
94,425 |
10.9 |
% |
During the last twelve months, we increased our total FTE employee headcount by 1,304. This reflects an increase in our in-market and non-in-market selling FTE employee headcount of 863 to support growth in the marketplace and sales initiatives targeting customer acquisition. We had an increase in our distribution center FTE employee headcount of 173 to support increased product throughput at our facilities and to expand our local inventory fulfillment terminals (LIFTs). We had an increase in our remaining FTE employee headcount of 268 that relates primarily to personnel investments in information technology, manufacturing, and operational support, such as purchasing and product development.
The table below summarizes the number of branches opened and closed, net of conversions, as well as the number of Onsites activated and closed, net of conversions during the periods presented.
|
Three-month Period |
|||||
|
2023 |
2022 |
||||
Branch openings |
2 |
|
6 |
|
||
Branch closures, net of conversions |
(25 |
) |
(39 |
) |
||
|
|
|
||||
|
84 |
|
57 |
|
||
|
(33 |
) |
(33 |
) |
In any period, the number of closings tends to reflect normal churn in our business, whether due to redefining or exiting customer relationships, the shutting or relocation of customer facilities that host our locations, or a customer decision, as well as our ongoing review of underperforming locations. Our in-market network forms the foundation of our business strategy, and we will continue to open or close locations as is deemed necessary to sustain and improve our network, support our growth drivers, and manage our operating expenses.
CONFERENCE CALL TO DISCUSS QUARTERLY RESULTS
As we previously disclosed, we will host a conference call today to review the quarterly results, as well as current operations. This conference call will be broadcast live over the Internet at
ADDITIONAL MONTHLY AND QUARTERLY INFORMATION
We publish on the 'Investor Relations' page of our website at www.fastenal.com both our monthly consolidated net sales information and the presentation for our quarterly conference call (which includes information, supplemental to that contained in our earnings announcement, regarding results for the quarter). We expect to publish the consolidated net sales information for each month, other than the third month of a quarter, at
ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS WEBCAST
On
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements contained in this document do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. As such, they are considered 'forward-looking statements' that provide current expectations or forecasts of future events. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as anticipate, believe, should, estimate, expect, intend, may, will, plan, goal, project, hope, trend, target, opportunity, and similar words or expressions, or by references to typical outcomes. Any statement that is not a historical fact, including estimates, projections, future trends, and the outcome of events that have not yet occurred, is a forward-looking statement. Our forward-looking statements generally relate to our expectations and beliefs regarding the business environment in which we operate, our projections of future performance, our perceived marketplace opportunities, our strategies, goals, mission, and vision, and our expectations about future capital expenditures, future tax rates, future inventory levels, pricing, future
FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES |
|||||||
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets |
|||||||
(Amounts in millions except share information) |
|||||||
|
|
(Unaudited) |
|
|
|||
Assets |
|
|
|
|
|||
Current assets: |
|
|
|
|
|||
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
239.8 |
|
|
230.1 |
|
Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of |
|
|
1,149.8 |
|
|
1,013.2 |
|
Inventories |
|
|
1,651.9 |
|
|
1,708.0 |
|
Prepaid income taxes |
|
|
— |
|
|
8.1 |
|
Other current assets |
|
|
120.0 |
|
|
165.4 |
|
Total current assets |
|
|
3,161.5 |
|
|
3,124.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Property and equipment, net |
|
|
1,003.5 |
|
|
1,010.0 |
|
Operating lease right-of-use assets |
|
|
243.8 |
|
|
243.0 |
|
Other assets |
|
|
168.2 |
|
|
170.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Total assets |
|
$ |
4,577.0 |
|
|
4,548.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity |
|
|
|
|
|||
Current liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|||
Current portion of debt |
|
$ |
200.0 |
|
|
201.8 |
|
Accounts payable |
|
|
266.8 |
|
|
255.0 |
|
Accrued expenses |
|
|
229.2 |
|
|
241.1 |
|
Current portion of operating lease liabilities |
|
|
91.4 |
|
|
91.9 |
|
Income taxes payable |
|
|
75.8 |
|
|
— |
|
Total current liabilities |
|
|
863.2 |
|
|
789.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Long-term debt |
|
|
200.0 |
|
|
353.2 |
|
Operating lease liabilities |
|
|
156.7 |
|
|
155.2 |
|
Deferred income taxes |
|
|
84.0 |
|
|
83.7 |
|
Other long-term liabilities |
|
|
2.5 |
|
|
3.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Stockholders' equity: |
|
|
|
|
|||
Preferred stock: |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
Common stock: |
|
|
5.7 |
|
|
5.7 |
|
Additional paid-in capital |
|
|
11.4 |
|
|
3.6 |
|
Retained earnings |
|
|
3,314.0 |
|
|
3,218.7 |
|
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
|
|
(60.5 |
) |
|
(64.8 |
) |
Total stockholders' equity |
|
|
3,270.6 |
|
|
3,163.2 |
|
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity |
|
$ |
4,577.0 |
|
|
4,548.6 |
|
FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES |
|||||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings |
|||||||
(Amounts in millions except earnings per share) |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
||||
|
(Unaudited) |
||||||
|
Three Months Ended |
||||||
|
|||||||
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
||||
Net sales |
$ |
1,859.1 |
|
|
1,704.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Cost of sales |
|
1,009.1 |
|
|
910.8 |
|
|
Gross profit |
|
850.0 |
|
|
793.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Operating and administrative expenses |
|
456.8 |
|
|
435.3 |
|
|
Operating income |
|
393.2 |
|
|
358.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Interest income |
|
0.4 |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
Interest expense |
|
(3.9 |
) |
|
(2.4 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Earnings before income taxes |
|
389.7 |
|
|
355.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Income tax expense |
|
94.6 |
|
|
86.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Net earnings |
$ |
295.1 |
|
|
269.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Basic net earnings per share |
$ |
0.52 |
|
|
0.47 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Diluted net earnings per share |
$ |
0.52 |
|
|
0.47 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Basic weighted average shares outstanding |
|
570.9 |
|
|
575.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding |
|
572.6 |
|
|
577.6 |
|
FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES |
|||||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows |
|||||||
(Amounts in millions) |
|||||||
|
(Unaudited) |
||||||
|
Three Months Ended |
||||||
|
|||||||
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
||||
Cash flows from operating activities: |
|
|
|
||||
Net earnings |
$ |
295.1 |
|
|
269.6 |
|
|
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities: |
|
|
|
||||
Depreciation of property and equipment |
|
41.8 |
|
|
41.2 |
|
|
(Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment |
|
(0.6 |
) |
|
3.5 |
|
|
Bad debt recoveries |
|
(1.4 |
) |
|
(0.3 |
) |
|
Deferred income taxes |
|
0.3 |
|
|
1.0 |
|
|
Stock-based compensation |
|
1.9 |
|
|
1.5 |
|
|
Amortization of intangible assets |
|
2.7 |
|
|
2.7 |
|
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|
|
|
||||
Trade accounts receivable |
|
(133.7 |
) |
|
(169.9 |
) |
|
Inventories |
|
57.7 |
|
|
(76.4 |
) |
|
Other current assets |
|
45.4 |
|
|
60.7 |
|
|
Accounts payable |
|
8.5 |
|
|
56.8 |
|
|
Accrued expenses |
|
(11.9 |
) |
|
(30.1 |
) |
|
Income taxes |
|
83.9 |
|
|
69.6 |
|
|
Other |
|
(1.2 |
) |
|
0.1 |
|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities |
|
388.5 |
|
|
230.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Cash flows from investing activities: |
|
|
|
||||
Purchases of property and equipment |
|
(33.7 |
) |
|
(35.5 |
) |
|
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment |
|
2.8 |
|
|
2.4 |
|
|
Other |
|
(0.1 |
) |
|
(0.1 |
) |
|
Net cash used in investing activities |
|
(31.0 |
) |
|
(33.2 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Cash flows from financing activities: |
|
|
|
||||
Proceeds from debt obligations |
|
230.0 |
|
|
235.0 |
|
|
Payments against debt obligations |
|
(385.0 |
) |
|
(260.0 |
) |
|
Proceeds from exercise of stock options |
|
5.9 |
|
|
3.9 |
|
|
Cash dividends paid |
|
(199.8 |
) |
|
(178.4 |
) |
|
Net cash used in financing activities |
|
(348.9 |
) |
|
(199.5 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
|
1.1 |
|
|
0.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
|
9.7 |
|
|
(2.0 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
|
230.1 |
|
|
236.2 |
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ |
239.8 |
|
|
234.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Supplemental information: |
|
|
|
||||
Cash paid for interest |
$ |
5.1 |
|
|
2.3 |
|
|
Net cash paid for income taxes |
$ |
9.7 |
|
|
15.2 |
|
|
Leased assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities |
$ |
25.9 |
|
|
23.9 |
|
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230412005789/en/
Financial Reporting & Regulatory Compliance Manager
507.313.7959
Source:
FAQ
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