SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


FORM 10-Q

 


(Mark One)

xQuarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31,September 30, 2007, or

 

¨Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from                        to                        

Commission file number 0-16125

 


FASTENAL COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Minnesota 41-0948415

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporationIncorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

2001 Theurer Boulevard

Winona, Minnesota

 55987-1500
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(507) 454-5374

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year,

if changed since last report)

 


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer  x    Accelerated Filer  ¨    Non-accelerated Filer  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the last practicable date.

 

Class

 

Outstanding at AprilOctober 20, 2007

Common Stock, $.01 par value

 151,106,512150,022,512



FASTENAL COMPANY

INDEX

 

   Page No.

Part I Financial Information:

  

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31,September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006

  1

Consolidated Statements of Earnings for the nine months and three months ended March 31,September 30, 2007 and 2006

  2

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2007 and 2006

  3

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

  4-9

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

  10-20

Quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk

  21

Controls and procedures

  21

Part II Other Information:

  

Legal Proceedings

22

Risk Factors

  22

Unregistered sales of equity securities and use of proceeds

  2223

Exhibits

  2324


PART I—I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Amounts in thousands except share information)

 

  

(Unaudited)

March 31,
2007

  December 31,
2006
  

(Unaudited)

September 30,

2007

  

December 31,

2006

Assets

        

Current assets:

        

Cash and cash equivalents

  $59,388  19,346  $54,145  19,346

Marketable securities

   9,924  10,835   4,460  10,835

Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $2,272 and $2,119, respectively

   238,657  209,532

Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $2,308 and $2,119, respectively

   258,738  209,532

Inventories

   446,192  455,997   488,824  455,997

Deferred income tax assets

   11,709  11,709   11,427  11,709

Other current assets

   57,041  60,357   59,110  60,357
            

Total current assets

   822,911  767,776   876,704  767,776

Marketable securities

   2,769  3,695   2,064  3,695

Property and equipment, less accumulated depreciation

   265,902  264,030   267,288  264,030

Other assets, less accumulated amortization

   3,604  3,515   3,721  3,515
            

Total assets

  $1,095,186  1,039,016  $1,149,777  1,039,016
      
      

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

        

Current liabilities:

        

Accounts payable

  $44,814  41,371  $54,969  41,371

Accrued expenses

   61,920  61,544   69,231  61,544

Income taxes payable

   33,343  981   3,962  981
            

Total current liabilities

   140,077  103,896   128,162  103,896
            

Deferred income tax liabilities

   13,027  13,027   14,001  13,027
            

Stockholders’ equity:

        

Preferred stock, 5,000,000 shares authorized

   —    —     —    —  

Common stock, 200,000,000 shares authorized, 151,106,712 and 151,206,712 shares issued and outstanding, respectively

   1,511  1,512

Common stock, 200,000,000 shares authorized, 150,322,512 and 151,206,712 shares issued and outstanding, respectively

   1,503  1,512

Additional paid-in capital

   9,263  12,697   227  12,697

Retained earnings

   924,999  902,550   989,401  902,550

Accumulated other comprehensive income

   6,309  5,334   16,483  5,334
            

Total stockholders’ equity

   942,082  922,093   1,007,614  922,093
            

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

  $1,095,186  1,039,016  $1,149,777  1,039,016
            

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

 

-1-


FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Earnings

(Amounts in thousands except earnings per share)

 

  

(Unaudited)

Three months ended
March 31,

  

(Unaudited)

Nine months ended
September 30,

 

(Unaudited)

Three months ended
September 30,

 
  2007  2006  2007  2006 2007  2006 

Net sales

  $489,157  431,703  $1,542,613  1,360,608  533,750  470,088 

Cost of sales

   239,642  214,216   759,605  676,881  261,726  232,853 
                   

Gross profit

   249,515  217,487   783,008  683,727  272,024  237,235 

Operating and administrative expenses

   160,851  140,512   498,290  436,628  173,178  150,035 

Loss on sale of property and equipment

   115  35

Gain (loss) on sale of property and equipment

   85  (176) 2  (26)
                   

Operating income

   88,549  76,940   284,803  246,923  98,848  87,174 

Interest income

   222  388   1,140  1,024  464  226 
                   

Earnings before income taxes

   88,771  77,328   285,943  247,947  99,312  87,400 

Income tax expense

   34,738  29,474   109,512  94,479  37,170  33,299 
                   

Net earnings

  $54,033  47,854  $176,431  153,468  62,142  54,101 
                   

Basic and diluted net earnings per share

  $0.36  0.32  $1.17  1.02  0.41  0.36 
                   

Basic weighted average shares outstanding

   151,179  151,055   150,878  151,055  150,462  150,907 
                   

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding

   151,179  151,390   150,878  151,172  150,462  151,007 
                   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

 

-2-


FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Amounts in thousands)

 

  

(Unaudited)

Three Months ended
March 31,

   

(Unaudited)

Nine Months ended

September 30,

 
  2007 2006   2007 2006 

Cash flows from operating activities:

      

Net earnings

  $54,033  47,854   $176,431  153,468 

Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:

      

Depreciation of property and equipment

   9,226  8,035    27,959  24,512 

Loss on sale of property and equipment

   115  35 

(Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment

   (85) 176 

Bad debt expense

   1,516  837    4,313  2,708 

Deferred income taxes

   —    1,137    1,256  2,472 

Stock based compensation

   —    168    1,234  279 

Amortization of non-compete agreement

   17  17    50  50 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

      

Trade accounts receivable

   (30,641) (29,798)   (53,519) (51,243)

Inventories

   9,805  (9,532)   (32,827) (57,134)

Other current assets

   3,316  359    1,247  (12,933)

Accounts payable

   3,443  16,271    13,598  9,942 

Accrued expenses

   376  830    7,687  9,008 

Income taxes payable

   32,362  27,278    2,981  (2,649)

Other

   887  (30)   10,103  2,584 
              

Net cash provided by operating activities

   84,455  63,461    160,428  81,240 
              

Cash flows from investing activities:

      

Purchase of property and equipment

   (12,697) (21,429)   (36,592) (65,146)

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment

   1,484  1,152    5,460  3,174 

Net decrease (increase) in marketable securities

   1,837  (47)   8,006  (361)

Increase in other assets

   (106) (50)   (256) (195)
              

Net cash used in investing activities

   (9,482) (20,374)   (23,382) (62,528)
              

Cash flows from financing activities:

      

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

   —    7,460 

Tax benefits from exercise of stock options

   —    2,815 

Purchase of common stock

   (3,435) —      (37,078) (17,289)

Payment of dividends

   (31,584) (30,211)   (66,216) (60,548)
              

Net cash used in financing activities

   (35,019) (30,211)   (103,294) (67,562)
              

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

   88  38    1,047  84 
              

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

   40,042  12,914 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

   34,799  (48,766)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

   19,346  56,204    19,346  56,204 
              

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

  $59,388  69,118   $54,145  7,438 
              

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

      

Cash paid during each period for:

      

Income taxes

  $2,376  2,196   $106,531  97,128 
              

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

 

-3-


FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands except per share information)

March 31,September 30, 2007 and 2006

(Unaudited)

 

(1)Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Fastenal Company and subsidiaries (collectively referred to as the Company, Fastenal, or by terms such as we, our, or us) have been prepared in accordance with U.S.United States generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information. They do not include all information and footnotes required by U.S.United States generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. However, there has been no material change in the information disclosed in the notes to consolidated financial statements included in the Company’sour consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2006. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included.

 

(2)Stockholders’ Equity and Stock-Based Compensation

Effective January 1, 2006, we began recording compensation expense associated with stock-based awards in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 123 (revised 2004),Share-Based Payment (SFAS No.123R) as interpreted by SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 107.

On April 15, 2003, our shareholders approved the Fastenal Company Stock Option Plan (Fastenal Option Plan). The aggregate number of shares of our common stock that were made available for issuance upon the exercise of options under the Fastenal Option Plan, on a split adjusted basis, was 7,588. During the first threenine months of 2007 and 2006, we had no stock-based employee compensation plans other than the Fastenal Option Plan.

Our Board of Directors granted options to purchase 930 shares of our common stock under the Fastenal Option Plan in May 2003. No other options had been granted under the Fastenal Option plan as of March 31, 2007. Any unexercised options from the May 2003 grant expired on November 30, 2006. As a result, at March 31, 2007 there were no options outstanding. However, onOn April 17, 2007, the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors approved the grant, effective at the close of business that day, of options to purchase approximately 2.2 million2,200 shares of our common stock at a strike price of $45 per share. These options have termsa contractual term of either five, seven, or eight years. No options under this grant were vested as of September 30, 2007. Compensation expense equal to the grant date fair value is recognized for these awards over the vesting period. The stock-based compensation expense for the nine month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006 was $1,234 and $279, respectively. The stock-based compensation expense for the three month period ended

 

(Continued)

 

-4-


FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands except per share information)

March 31,September 30, 2007 and 2006

(Unaudited)

 

Effective January 1, 2006, we began recording compensation expense associated with stock-based awards in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 123 (revised 2004),Share-Based Payment (SFAS No.123R) as interpreted by SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 107. TheSeptember 30, 2007 was $851. There was no stock-based compensation expense amount recordedfor the three month period ended September 30, 2006 as these outstanding options, which were granted in January 2003, were fully vested. Unrecognized compensation expense related to outstanding stock options as of September 30, 2007 was $0$16,889, pre-tax, and $168, (pre-tax amount)is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 8.07 years. Any future changes in first three monthsestimated forefeitures will impact this amount.

The fair value of each share-based option is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes valuation method that uses the assumptions noted in the following table. The expected life is the most significant assumption as it determines the period for which the risk-free interest rate, volatility, and dividend yield must be applied. The expected life is the average length of time over which the employee groups will exercise their options, which is based on historical experience with similar grants. Expected volatilities are based on the movement of the Company’s stock over the most recent historical period equivalent to the expected life of the option. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury rate over the expected life at the time of grant. The dividend yield is estimated over the expected life based on our current dividend payout, historical dividends paid, and expected future cash dividends. The following table illustrates the assumptions for the options granted this year and for the options granted in 2003 which were outstanding in 2006.

   Options Granted 
   

April

2007

  

May

2003

 

Weighted-average expected life of option in years

   4.9   3.4 

Weighted-average volatility

   31.6%  30.3%

Risk-free interest rate

   4.6%  4.5%

Expected dividend yield

   1.0%  0.2%

Weighted-average grant date fair value of stock option

  $11.36  $3.55 

(Continued)

-5-


FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands except per share information)

September 30, 2007 and 2006 respectively.

(Unaudited)

The following table presents a reconciliation of the denominators used in the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share related to the Fastenal Option Plan:

 

   

Three months ended

March 31,

   2007  2006

Basic—weighted shares outstanding

  151,179  151,055

Weighted shares assumed upon exercise of stock options

  —    335
      

Diluted—weighted shares outstanding

  151,179  151,390
      
   Nine months ended
September 30,
  Three months ended
September 30,
   2007  2006  2007  2006

Basic - weighted shares outstanding

  150,878  151,005  150,462  150,907

Weighted shares assumed upon exercise of stock options

  —    167  —    100
            

Diluted - weighted shares outstanding

  150,878  151,172  150,462  151,007
            

The dilutive impact summarized above relates to periods when the average market price of our stock exceeded the exercise price of the potentially dilutive option securities then outstanding.

(Continued)

-5-


FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands except per share information)

March 31, 2007 and 2006

(Unaudited)

 

(3)Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income and the components of other comprehensive income were as follows:

 

  

Three months ended

March 31,

   

Nine months ended

September 30,

 

Three months ended

September 30,

 
  2007 2006   2007 2006 2007  2006 

Net earnings

  $54,033  47,854   $176,431  153,468  $62,142  54,101 

Translation adjustment

   1,052  277    11,164  2,875   4,772  (333)

Change in marketable securities

   (77) (269)   (15) (206)  32  65 
                    

Total comprehensive income

  $55,008  47,862   $187,580  156,137  $66,946  53,833 
                    

(Continued)

 

-6-


FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands except per share information)

March 31,September 30, 2007 and 2006

(Unaudited)

 

(4)Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses

The following tables show the fair value and the gross unrealized gains and losses of our investments. This information is aggregated by the investment category and maturity of the investment.

 

  March 31, 2007 

September 30, 2007

September 30, 2007

 
  Less than 12 months 12 months or more Total  Current Non-Current  Total 

Description

  Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
 Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
 Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
 Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
 

Federal mortgage backed security

  $9,924  (77) —    —    $9,924  (77) $4,299  (15) —    —    $4,299  (15)

State and municipal bonds

   —    —    2,769  —     2,769  —    —    —    2,064  —     2,064  —   

Certificates of deposit or money market

   —    —    —    —     —    —    161  —    —    —     161  —   
                                     

Total

  $9,924  (77) 2,769  —    $12,693  (77) $4,460  (15) 2,064  —    $6,524  (15)
                                     
  March 31, 2006 
  Less than 12 months 12 months or more Total 

Description

  Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
 Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
 Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
 

Federal mortgage backed security

  $—    —    9,731  (269) $9,731  (269)

State and municipal bonds

   —    —    3,432  —     3,432  —   

Certificates of deposit or money market

   781  —    —    —     781  —   
                   

Total

  $781  —    13,163  (269) $13,944  (269)
                   

September 30, 2006

 
   Current  Non-Current  Total 

Description

  Fair
value
  

Unrealized

gain (loss)

  Fair
value
  Unrealized
gain (loss)
  Fair
value
  

Unrealized

gain (loss)

 

Federal mortgage backed security

  $5,897  (103) 3,898  (103) $9,795  (206)

State and municipal bonds

   —    —    4,055  —     4,055  —   

Certificates of deposit or money market

   408  —    —    —     408  —   
                     

Total

  $6,305  (103) 7,953  (103) $14,258  (206)
                     

(Continued)

 

-7-


FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands except per share information)

March 31,September 30, 2007 and 2006

(Unaudited)

 

As was disclosed in our 2006 Annual Report to Shareholders, we classify these securities as available-for-sale. Available-for-sale securities are recorded at fair value based on current market value. Unrealized holding gains and losses on available-for-sale securities are excluded from earnings, but are included in comprehensive income, and are reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity until realized.

The unrealized losses on our investments at the end of the periods were caused by interest rate increases. Because the decline in market value is attributable to changes in interest rates and not credit quality and because we have the ability and intent to hold these investments until recovery of the fair value, which may be maturity, we do not consider these investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired at March 31,September 30, 2007 and 2006.

 

(5)Operating Leases with Guarantees

We lease certain pick-up trucks under operating leases. These leases typically have a 72-month term and include an early buy out clause we generally exercise, thereby giving the leases an effective term of 12-15 months. Certain operating leases for vehicles contain residual value guarantee provisions, which could become due at the expiration of the operating lease agreement if the fair value of the leased vehicles is less than the guaranteed residual value. The aggregate residual value at lease expiration, of the leases that contain residual value guarantees, is approximately $10,663$10,770 at March 31,September 30, 2007. We believe the likelihood of funding the guarantee obligation under any provision of the operating lease agreements is remote, except for a $2,284 loss on disposal reserve provided at March 31,September 30, 2007.

(Continued)

 

-8-


FASTENAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands except per share information)

March 31,September 30, 2007 and 2006

(Unaudited)

 

(6)Income Taxes

In July 2006, the FASBFinancial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Interpretation No. 48,Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (FIN No. 48). This interpretation, as required to bewhich we adopted on January 1, 2007, clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an entity’s financial statements in accordance with SFAS No. 109,Accounting for Income Taxes. It prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for financial statement disclosure of tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return. Implementation of FIN No. 48 on January 1, 2007 resulted in no adjustment to theour recorded liability for unrecognized tax benefits. As ofOn the date of adoption, theour total amount of unrecognized tax benefits was $3,041. Included in this liability for unrecognized tax benefits is an estimate for interest and penalties totaling $703, both of which we classify as a component of income tax expense.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we reduced the $3,041 liability discussed above by $1,766 ($395 of this was for interest and penalties). This reduction was due to the settlement of certain state jurisdiction tax positions.

Fastenal Company, or one of its subsidiaries, files income tax returns in the U.S.United States Federal jurisdiction, all states, and various foreign jurisdictions. With limited exceptions, we are no longer subject to income tax examinations by taxing authorities for taxable years before 2004, in the case of United States Federal and non-United States examinations, 2004 and 2001 in the case of state and local examinations, 2001.examinations.

(7)Subsequent Event

On October 18, 2007, a complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Fastenal Company on behalf of two former employees claiming to represent all employees employed in the store position of Assistant General Manager in the United States within three years prior to the filing date (four years for California employees). The suit alleges Fastenal misclassified its Assistant General Managers as exempt for purposes of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and California and Pennsylvania state statutes. This suit also alleges that Assistant General Managers in California did not receive sufficient meal breaks and paid rest periods under the California Labor Code. The plaintiffs seek class action status. This action is in a preliminary stage. We are not currently able to predict the outcome of this action or reasonably estimate a range of potential loss. We intend to vigorously defend this action.

 

-9-


ITEM 2.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following is management’s discussion and analysis of certain significant factors that have affected our financial position and operating results during the periods included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. (Dollar amounts are in thousands except for per share amounts and where otherwise noted.)

The following discussion refers to the term daily sales. Daily sales are defined as net sales for a period of time divided by the number of business days in that period of time.

Business Overview—Fastenal is a North American leader in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. We distribute these supplies through a network of over 2,0002,100 company owned stores. Most of our customers are in the construction and manufacturing markets. The construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal, and road contractors. The manufacturing market includes both original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and maintenance and repair operations (MRO). Other users of our product include farmers, truckers, railroads, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools, and certain retail trades. Geographically, our stores and customers are primarily located in North America.

Financial Overview—In the first several years of this decade, the global manufacturing recession negatively impacted our performance, and that of the industry as a whole. This negative impact of the economy reversed itself starting in July 2003. However, the economy we sell into has weakened since the fallmiddle of 2006. The impact of the economy is best reflected in the growth performance of our stores greater than five years old. (Store sites opened as follows: 2007 group – opened 2002 and earlier, and 2006 group – opened 2001 and earlier). These stores are more cyclical due to the increased market share they enjoy in their local markets. The daily net sales growth rate of stores more than five years old was as follows:

 

   Three months ended
March 31,
 
   2007  2006 

Growth percentage

  5.5% 10.8%
       
   

Nine months ended

September 30,

  

Three months ended

September 30,

 
   2007  2006  2007  2006 

Growth percentage

  5.4% 10.5% 5.8% 9.8%
             

Our stores that are two to five years old are also impacted by the economy, but to a lesser degree. The daily net sales growth rate of our stores that are two to five years old was as follows (Store sites opened as follows: 2007 group – opened in 2003, 2004, and 2005, and 2006 group – opened in 2002, 2003, and 2004):

 

   Three months ended
March 31,
 
   2007  2006 

Growth percentage

  16.3% 31.1%
       
   

Nine months ended

September 30,

  

Three months ended

September 30,

 
   2007  2006  2007  2006 

Growth percentage

  13.4% 26.0% 8.4% 20.7%
             

(Continued)

 

-10-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

 

Combined these two groups represent a consistent “same store” view of our business (Store sites opened as follows: 2007 group – opened 2005 and earlier, and 2006 group – opened 2004 and earlier). These stores, which are more than two years old, had net daily sales growth rates as follows:

 

   Three months ended
March 31,
 
   2007  2006 

Growth percentage

  7.6% 14.6%
       
   

Nine months ended

September 30,

  

Three months ended

September 30,

 
   2007  2006  2007  2006 

Growth percentage

  7.0% 13.5% 6.3% 11.9%
             

Note: The age groups above are measured as of the last day of each respective year.

Sales Growth—Net sales were as follows:

 

  Three months ended
March 31,
   

Nine months ended

September 30,

 

Three months ended

September 30,

 
  2007 2006   2007 2006 2007 2006 

Net sales

  $489,157  431,703   $1,542,613  1,360,608  533,750  470,088 

Percentage change

   13.3% 22.0%   13.4% 19.4% 13.5% 16.9%
                    

The increase in net sales in the nine and three month periodperiods in 2007 came primarily from higher unit sales, and to a lesser degree, increases in prices. The higher unit sales resulted from increases in sales at older store sites (discussed earlier) and the opening of new store sites in 2006 and 2007.

The mix of sales from the original Fastenal®fastener product line (which consists primarily of threaded fasteners) and from the newer product lines was as follows:

 

  Three months ended
March 31,
   

Nine months ended

September 30,

 

Three months ended

September 30,

 

Product line

  2007 2006   2007 2006 2007 2006 

Fastener product line

  50.8% 52.3%  50.9% 51.7% 50.5% 51.2%

Newer product lines

  49.2% 47.7%  49.1% 48.3% 49.5% 48.8%
                    

(Continued)

 

-11-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

 

Daily sales growth rates for the twelve months of 2005 and 2006, and the first threenine months of 2007, were as follows (compared to the comparable month in the preceding year):

 

  Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.   Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 

2005

  26.2% 25.1% 22.5% 26.6% 22.9% 21.2% 21.8% 21.7% 26.8% 22.7% 21.7% 17.0%  26.2% 25.1% 22.5% 26.6% 22.9% 21.2% 21.8% 21.7% 26.8% 22.7% 21.7% 17.0%

2006

  23.9% 21.3% 21.1% 19.1% 19.2% 20.6% 19.7% 20.7% 16.1% 15.9% 16.3% 17.7%  23.9% 21.3% 21.1% 19.1% 19.2% 20.6% 19.7% 20.7% 16.1% 15.9% 16.3% 17.7%

2007

  12.6% 11.8% 15.5%           12.6% 11.8% 15.5% 12.0% 13.2% 14.8% 13.9% 13.4% 13.7%   

The January 2005 to November 2005 time frame generally represents improvement followed by stabilization in our daily sales trends. The January 2005 to November 2005 general improvement and stabilization reflects a continuation of the improvements we saw beginning in 2003 in the economy as it relates to the customers we sell to in North America and the impact of the Fastenal standard inventory stocking model (see reference below regarding the Customer Service Project, or CSP). The December 2005 daily sales growth rate was weaker than we expected; however, we believe this was an abnormality due to the following reasons (1) historically we have seen fluctuations in December’s daily sales growth rates due to the presence of the various holidays and their impact on our customers’ buying patterns and (2) December 2004 experienced strong growth, which creates a more difficult comparison in the next year. In 2005, item (2) is also noticeable in months such as May, June, July, and, to a lesser degree, October. The noticeable exception to item (2) is the month of September, which experienced stronger growth due to the demand generated by Hurricane Katrina. The continued strong growth in the January 2006 to March 2006 time frame generally represents a continuation of the strong environments experienced in 2004 and 2005. The first two months of the second quarter of 2006 experienced weaker sales growth than we expected. The April 2006 growth was negatively impacted by Easter (which occurred in March during 2005), but was still weaker than we expected. The June to August 2006 time frame represents stronger sales activity than the preceding two to three month period. The daily sales growth amount in September 2006 appears weaker due to the difficult comparison with Hurricane Katrina’s added sales in September 2005 (approximately $4,000 impact); however, the increase in our daily sales number from August 2006 to September 2006, of 4.1%, is consistent with historical norms. The final three months of 2006 continued in the same variable fashion as the previous six months. The October growth number was negatively impacted by the difficult comparison with Hurricane Katrina’s added sales in October 2005 (approximately $1,500 impact). The months of November and December, like the months of April and May, were weaker than expected. The first twofive months of 2007 were weaker than expected; however, they also had fairly challenging comparisons from 2006.continued the trend of a weak economic environment as experienced during parts of 2006 (as described above). The month of March 2007 improved relative to January 2007 and February 2007. The month of June 2007 improved relative to April and May 2007. The June improvement was meaningful as it came in a month with fairly challenging comparisons from 2006. Unfortunately, the strength in June moderated in the third quarter. This pulled our daily sales growth rate from the 14.8% in June to 13.5% in the third quarter of 2007. This moderation reflected a continuation of the weaker economic environment experienced in four of the first five months of the year.

(Continued)

 

-12-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

 

Statement of Earnings Information (percentage of net sales) —

 

  Three Months Ended March 31,   Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 Three Months Ended
September 30,
 
  2007 2006   2007 2006 2007 2006 

Net sales

  100.0% 100.0%  100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Gross profit margin

  51.0% 50.4%  50.8% 50.3% 51.0% 50.5%

Operating and administrative expenses

  32.9% 32.5%  32.3% 32.1% 32.4% 31.9%

Gain (loss) on sale of property and equipment

  0.0% 0.0%  0.0% (0.0)% 0.0% (0.0)%
                    

Operating income

  18.1% 17.8%  18.5% 18.1% 18.5% 18.5%

Interest income

  0.0% 0.1%  0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
                    

Earnings before income taxes

  18.1% 17.9%  18.5% 18.2% 18.6% 18.6%

Note – Amounts may not foot due to rounding difference.

Gross profit margins for the first threenine months and third quarter of 2007 increased over the same period in 2006. The improvement was driven by our freight initiative (discussed below)later) and by improvements in our direct sourcing operations.

Operating and administrative expenses for the first three months of 2007 grew faster compared to the same period in 2006, than the net sales growth.growth rate during the first nine months and third quarter of 2007. This was primarily due to increases in payroll and related expenses associated with the additional outside sales personnel for our ‘pathway to profit’ initiative (discussed later), and to a lesser extent, the initiatives mentioned below (most notably the CSP2 conversions). Similar to the last several years, we experienced negative leverage in occupancy costs (primarily due to store openings and, to a lesser extent, the initiatives discussed below (most notably, the CSP2 conversions)degree, store relocations).

The operating and administrative expenses were helped by payrollfor the first nine months of 2007 and related expenses, which grew slightly slower than sales growth.

The 2006 operatinginclude $1,234 and administrative expenses include $168$279, respectively, of expensesadditional compensation expense related to the adoption of new stock option accounting rules. ThisThe 2007 expense relates to options granted in April 2007. We anticipate these options, which vest over five to eight years, will result in compensation expense of approximately $227 per month for the next five years; and dropping slightly in the remaining period. The 2006 expense occurred in the first five months of 2006, but ceased on June 1, 2006 as allthose outstanding options, becamewhich were granted in January 2003, were fully vested. No other stock based compensation was outstanding during these periods.

(Continued)

-13-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

Income taxes, as a percentage of earnings before income taxes were approximately 39.1% in38.3% and 38.1% for the first nine months of 2007 and 38.1% in 2006.2006, respectively. During the first quarter of 2007, we implemented FASB Interpretation No. 48,Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes(FIN No. 48) as discussed above. This implementation did not have an impact on earnings. We. As defined in FIN No. 48, we had a discrete event duringin each of the first, second, and third quarters of 2007. The events in the first and second quarter whichof 2007 resulted in recognition of approximately $827 and $124 of additional tax.tax, respectively, and the event in the third quarter of 2007 resulted in a reduction of income tax expense of $767. Absent this event,these events, our core income tax rate would have been approximately 38.2% for the quarter. On April 9, 2007, a jurisdiction in which we operate passed legislation which impacted their income tax rate. This event will be treated as a discrete item in the second quarterfirst nine months of 2007 and will increase our core income tax rate by 0.1% to approximately 38.3%.2007. This rate fluctuates over time based on the income tax rates in the various jurisdictions in which we operate, and based on the level of profits in those jurisdictions.

(Continued)

-13-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

Net earnings—Net earnings and net earnings per share were as follows:

 

  Three months ended
March 31,
   

Nine months ended

September 30,

 Three months ended
September 30,
 
  2007 2006   2007 2006 2007 2006 

Net earnings

  $54,033  47,854   $176,431  153,468  $62,142  54,101 

Percentage change

   12.9% 29.2%   15.0% 20.2%  14.9% 17.7%
                    

Basic and diluted net earnings per share

  $.36  .32   $1.17  1.02  $.41  .36 

Percentage change

   12.5% 33.3%   14.7% 21.4%  13.9% 20.0%
                    

We increased our net earnings in the nine and three month periods primarily due to the aforementioned growth in sales and in the gross margin percentage.

Impact of Current Initiatives —Initiatives—During the last several years, we haveFastenal has been actively pursuing several initiatives to improve ourits operational performance. These include: (1) a new freight model, (2) tactical changes to our working capital model, (3) an expanded store model called CSP2, and (4) a ‘master stocking hub’ distribution model. Note: See introduction of our ‘pathway to profit’ initiative discussion later in this report.

The freight model represents a focused effort to haul a higher percentage of our products utilizing the Fastenal trucking network (which operates at a substantial savings to external service providers because of our ability to leverage our existing routes) and to charge freight more consistently in our various operating units. This initiative positively impacted the latter two-thirds of 2005, all of 2006, and the first threenine months of 2007 despite the fact we experienced year-over-year increases of approximately 31.7% and 5.3%, respectively, in per gallon diesel fuel costs during the first two periods. The diesel fuel cost per gallon did soften in the last four months of 2006 as our average price per gallon dropped below $2.90, and the$2.90. The average price per gallon dropped to $2.59 in the first three months of 2007, increased to an average of $2.85 per gallon during the second quarter of 2007 and increased again to an average of $2.94 per gallon during the third quarter of 2007. Given the nature of our distribution business, the continuation of lower fuel

(Continued)

-14-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

prices did translate into cost savings in our business during the first three monthsquarter of 2007 but started to have a negative impact during the latter part of the second quarter and during all of the third quarter of 2007.

The tactical changes to our working capital model include the establishment of a central call center for accounts receivable collection, and the establishment of financial business rules for the purchasing of products outside the standard stocking model (formerly referred to as CSP) at the store level, and the continuous rebalancing of store inventory based on our stores.expected short-term needs. The latter is accomplished through a process we call ‘inventory re-distribution’. The balance sheet impacts of these changes are described below in the working capital discussion.

The CSP2 store model representsrepresented an expansion of the core stocking items and sales personnel in an existing store with the goal of driving additional product sales to existing customers, target customers, and specific geographic areas within established markets. During the first threenine months of 2007, 3981 stores were converted to the CSP2 format. This resulted in 232274 stores converted to the CSP2 format since the third quarter of 2005, plus six new stores opened with the CSP2 format.

(Continued)

-14-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

During the third quarter of 2007 we chose to modify the CSP2 expansion from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to an ‘a la carte’ approach. This will emphasize inventory expansion based on local customer demographics and based on local product knowledge within our sales force. We believe this is a logical compliment to our ‘pathway to profit’ initiative discussed later.

The ‘master stocking hub’ distribution model represents our ‘everything in the catalog’ location. Historically, we have stocked a core selection of products (approximately 5,5006,500 stock keeping units, or SKU’s) plus customer specific products at each of our store locations. Our distribution centers would stock the core selection, plus other products with sufficient sales history to warrant stocking in a distribution center. Our stores would utilize their local or distribution center inventory to satisfy most of their customers’ needs and would then directly purchase additional items to satisfy the rest of their customers’ needs. When analyzing this local (or store) spending we noted the following: (1) this is an inefficient transaction for our store, (2) because it is a ‘one off’ purchase, we don’t always benefit from good price negotiation because it is a ‘one off’ purchase, (3) our freight costs on these transactions are meaningfully higher than our average transaction, and (4) in many cases, we have sufficient volume at the ‘company-wide’ level to warrant stocking an itemit somewhere. These and other factors convinced us to turn our Indianapolis, IN distribution center (DC) from a regional DC into both a regional DC and a North American ‘master stocking hub’. This will allow all of our locations easy access to a wide variety of product already in the network. This will also allow us to turn the four points noted above into a competitive advantage at the store level. In the future, as volume justifies it, we anticipate our Modesto, CA distribution center will assume a similar role for our stores west of the Rocky Mountains.

(Continued)

-15-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

Impact of Fuel Prices During the Quarter —Quarter—Rising fuel prices did take a toll on the year ended December 31, 2006, but there was some relief in the final four months that continued into the first quarter of 2007. During the second and third quarters of 2007, we began to see significant increases in per gallon fuel costs again. During the first, quartersecond, and third quarters of 2006, our total vehicle fuel costs averaged approximately $1.9 million, $2.1 million, and $2.2 million per month.month, respectively. During the first, quartersecond, and third quarters of 2007, total vehicle fuel costs averaged approximately $2.1 million, $2.5 million, and $2.4 million per month.month, respectively. The increase, which was slightly less than our sales increase resulted from variations in fuel costs, the freight initiative discussed earlier, and the increase in sales and store locations. These fuel costs include the fuel utilized in our distribution vehicles (semi-tractors, straight trucks, and sprinter trucks) which is recorded in cost of goods and the fuel utilized in our store delivery vehicles which is included in operating and administrative expenses.

(Continued)

-15-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

Working Capital —Capital—The year-over-year dollar and the year-to-date dollar and percentage growth related to accounts receivable and inventories were as follows:

 

   

Balance at

March 31,

  

Twelve Month Dollar

Change

March 31,

  

Twelve Month
Percentage

Change
March 31,

 

Year-over-year change

  2007  2006  2007  2006  2007  2006 

Accounts receivable, net

  $238,657  212,517  $26,140  29,086  12.3% 15.9%

Inventories

  $446,192  371,095  $75,097  60,691  20.2% 19.5%

Year-over-year change

  Balance at
September 30,
  Twelve Month
Dollar Change
September 30,
  Twelve Month
Percentage Change
September 30,
 
  2007  2006  2007  2006  2007 2006 

Accounts receivable, net

  $258,738  232,091  $26,647  27,751  11.5% 13.6%

Inventories

  $488,824  418,695  $70,129  66,609  16.7% 18.9%
  

Three Month Dollar
Change

March 31,

  Three Month
Percentage
Change
March 31,
 

Year-to-date change

  2007 2006  2007 2006         

Nine Month

Dollar Change
September 30,

  Nine Month
Percentage Change
September 30,
 
        2007  2006  2007 2006 

Accounts receivable, net

  $29,125  28,961  13.9% 15.8%      $49,206  48,535  23.5% 26.4%

Inventories

  $(9,805) 9,534  (2.2)% 2.6%      $32,827  57,134  7.2% 15.8%

These two assets were impacted by our initiatives to improve working capital. These initiatives include (1) the establishment of a centralized call center to facilitate accounts receivable management (this facility became operational early in 2005) and (2) the tight management of all inventory amounts not identified as either expected store inventory (see reference below regarding CSP), new expanded inventory, inventory necessary for upcoming store openings, or inventory necessary for our ‘master stocking hub’.

The accounts receivable increase of 15.9%13.6% from March 31,September 30, 2005 to March 31,September 30, 2006 represents a lag behind the 21.1%16.1% daily sales increase in MarchSeptember 2006. The accounts receivable increase of 12.3%11.5% from March 31,September 30, 2006 to March 31,September 30, 2007 also represents a lag behind the 13.7% daily sales increase of 15.5% in MarchSeptember 2007. We continue to be pleased with the improvements in accounts receivable during 2006 and 2007, and with the related reduction in bad debt expense when compared to historical amounts.

(Continued)

-16-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

The inventory increase from March 31,September 30, 2006 to March 31,September 30, 2007 of 20.2%16.7% is greater than sales growth from the first quarternine months of 2006 to the first quarternine months of 2007.2007 of 13.4%. The decrease inyear-to-date inventory increase of 7.2% since December 2006 represents a meaningful improvement from the 15.8% increase in the first nine months of 2006. This improvement relates to our conscious decision to limit the growth of inventory in the future, to halt growth or decrease inventory in the short-term, and to get everybody on the same page related to execution of this decision. We were pleased with the progress in inventory, but still have much work ahead of us.

(Continued)

-16-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

As we indicated in earlier communications, our goals center on our ability to move the ratio of annual sales to accounts receivable and inventory (Annual Sales: AR&I) back to better than a 3.0:1 ratio (on December 31, 2006 and 2005, we had a ratio of 2.7:1 and 2.8:1, respectively). Historically, we have been able to achieve a 20% after tax return on total assets (our historical internal goal) when our Annual Sales: AR&I ratio is at or above 3.0:1. While the incremental investments in 2006 did not allow us to improve our ratio (these investments include CSP2 conversions and our master stocking hub model); we believe our initiatives are having a positive impact on accounts receivable and inventory. In the first threenine months of 2007, we have made considerable improvement as detailed above. We need to execute better on the inventory portion of these working capital initiatives for all of 2007. As discussed in last quarter’s release, this need has been communicated throughout our organization.

Store Openings and Format At our annual shareholders meeting on April 17, 2007 and our Inventory Day Presentation on April 24, 2007, we presented an operational strategy we call our “Pathway to Profit and Shareholder Wealth” plan. In these presentations, we outlined our strategy to increase our average sales per store. This strategy includes the following: (1) increasing the number of outside sales people, (2) slowing the growth of non-sales personnel relative to sales growth, and (3) opening stores at a rate of approximately 7 to 10% per year (calculated on the ending number of stores in the previous year). On December 31, 2006, we operated 2,000 stores; therefore, we expect to open approximately 140 to 200 stores in 2007. We opened 73 stores in the first quarter of 2007.

We opened 245 new stores in 2006, 222 new stores in 2005, and 219 new stores in 2004, or an increase over the previous December of 14.0%, 14.5% and 16.7%, respectively. While the new stores continue to build the infrastructure for future growth, the first year sales are low, and the added expenses related to payroll, occupancy, and transportation costs do impact our ability to leverage earnings. As disclosed previously, it has been our experience that new stores take approximately ten to twelve months to achieve profitability. The planned openings can be altered in a short time span, usually less than 60 to 90 days.

In June 2002, we began our ‘customer service project’ (or CSP). This project centered on stocking all of our stores with a consistent base of product and with a consistent merchandising scheme. Since this CSP format represents the stocking model in substantially all of our locations, during the first quarter of 2005 we began to refer to these converted locations simply as stores with our expected inventory stocking model, versus the CSP designation. Consistent with our operating philosophy, we intend to continue identifying products and store display themes to position our stores to the Fastenal goal of being ‘the best industrial and construction supplier in each local market in which we operate’. In June 2005 we disclosed our intention to convert locations to the CSP2 format. The CSP2 format representsrepresented a further expansion of the Fastenal standard inventory stocking model at the store level. As of March 31,September 30, 2007, 238280 stores were operating under the CSP2 format. Of these stores, 3981 were converted during the first three

(Continued)

-17-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

nine months of 2007, 163 were converted during 2006, 30 were converted in the latter half of 2005, and another six were opened with the CSP2 format (one in 2005 and five in 2006). We expect to convert and/or open additional stores with the CSP2 format in 2007. In our 2006 Annual Report, to Shareholders, we discussed our CSP3 format. The CSP3 format represents a ‘test’ expansion of the store format. We expect to have approximately ten stores with this format at the end of 2007. At March 31,September 30, 2007 we have foureight stores with this format. ThreeSeven were converted in the first threenine months of 2007 and one was converted in 2006. As indicated earlier in this report, we have modified our CSP2 expansion from a ‘one size fits all’ to an ‘a la carte’ approach. In the future, we will discontinue our practice of disclosing CSP2 and CSP3 store conversions and/or openings information. We feel the ‘pathway to profit’ process of disclosing store FTE personnel is a better indicator of the progress of this initiative.

(Continued)

-17-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

Pathway to Profit and Shareholder Wealth— During April 2007 we disclosed our intention to alter the growth drivers of our business. For most of the last decade, we have used store openings as the primary growth driver of our business (opening approximately 14% new stores each year). In the future, we intend to add outside sales personnel into existing stores at a faster rate than historical patterns. We intend to fund this sales force expansion with the occupancy savings generated by opening stores at the rate of 7% to 10% per year (we expect to open approximately 8% new stores in 2007 or approximately 160 stores) versus the historical rate of approximately 14%. Our goal is four-fold: (1) to continue growing our business at a similar rate with the new sales investment model, (2) to grow the sales of our average store from $80 thousand per month (Spring 2007) to $130 thousand per month (five years or 2012), (3) to enhance the profitability of the overall business by capturing the natural expense leverage that has historically occurred in our existing stores as their sales grow, and (4) to increase the returns of our business due to the enhanced profitability described in (3) above and due to the more efficient use of working capital (primarily inventory) as our average store size increases.

In response to the ‘pathway to profit’, we have increased our year-over-year store count and full-time equivalent (FTE) head count as follows:

   September
2007
  

June

2007

  

March

2007

 

Store count

  9.7% 12.5% 13.4%
          

Store personnel – FTE

  18.4% 13.7% 13.0%

Distribution and manufacturing personnel – FTE

  12.8% 9.2% 8.9%

Administrative and sales support personnel – FTE

  2.1% 4.4% 15.2%
          

Total - FTE

  15.0% 11.5% 12.5%
          

Stock Repurchase and Dividends—On January 18, 2007, we issued a press release announcing our Board of Directors had authorized purchases by us of up to an additional 1,000,000 shares of our common stock (over and above previously authorized amounts). On July 11, 2007, we issued a press release announcing our Board of Directors had authorized us to purchase up to an additional 1,000,000 shares of our common stock (over and above previously authorized amounts). During the first threenine months of 2007, we purchased 100,000884,200 shares of our outstanding stock at an average price of approximately $34.35$41.94 per share. With thisthe new authorization,authorizations in 2007, we have remaining authority to purchase up to approximately 986,0001,200,000 additional shares of our common stock.

During the first nine months of 2007 and 2006 we paid dividends totaling $66,216 (or $0.44 per share) and $60,548 (or $0.40 per share), respectively, to our shareholders.

Critical Accounting Policies—A discussion of the critical accounting policies related to accounting estimates is contained in our 2006 Annual Report to Shareholders.

(Continued)

 

-18-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources—

Cash flow activity was as follows:

 

  

Three months ended

March 31,

  

Nine months ended

September 30,

  2007  2006  2007  2006

Net cash provided by operating activities

  $84,455  63,461  $160,428  81,240

Net cash used in investing activities

  $9,482  20,374  $23,282  62,528

Net cash used in financing activities

  $35,019  30,211  $103,294  67,562
            

Cash flow activity as a percentage of net earnings was as follows:

   

Nine months ended

September 30,

 
   2007  2006 

Net cash provided by operating activities

  90.9% 52.9%

Net cash used in investing activities

  13.2% 40.7%

Net cash used in financing activities

  58.5% 44.0%
       

Net cash provided by operating activities has increased from the prior year as the growth in net earnings was aided by improving trends in working capital management (discussed earlier).

Net cash used in investing activities changed primarily due to changes in marketable securities and property and equipment.

Property and equipment expenditures in the first threenine months of 2007 consisted of: (1) the purchase of software and hardware for Fastenal’s information processing systems, (2) the addition of certain pickup trucks, (3) the purchase of signage, shelving, and other fixed assets related to store openings and conversion of existing stores to the CSP2 stocking model, (4) the addition of manufacturing and warehouse equipment, (5) the expansion or improvement of certain owned or leased store properties, and (6) the expansion of Fastenal’s distribution/trucking fleet. Disposals of property and equipment consisted of the planned disposition of certain pickup trucks, semi-tractors, and trailers in the normal course of business and the disposition of real estate relating to several store locations.

Cash requirements for these expenditures were satisfied from net earnings, cash on hand, and the proceeds of asset disposals. As of March 31,September 30, 2007, we had no material outstanding commitments for capital expenditures. We anticipate funding our current expansion plans with cash generated from operations, from available cash and cash equivalents, and, to a lesser degree, from our borrowing capacity.

(Continued)

-19-


ITEM 2.(Continued)

Net cash used in financing activities consisted of the payment of dividends and cash outflow needed to fund the stock repurchase discussed earlier.

A discussion of the nature and amount of future cash commitments is contained in our 2006 Annual Report to Shareholders.

(Continued)

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ITEM 2.(Continued)

Certain Risks and Uncertainties—This report contains statements that are not historical in nature and that are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, “forward-looking statements” under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding working capital goals and expected return on total assets when working capital is appropriately managed, the addition of outside sales personnel at existing stores and the funding of that expansion, the ability to grow average store sales and capture resulting leverage, planned store openings, planned conversionsthe expected amount of stores to the CSP2 and CSP3 formats,future compensation expense resulting from existing stock options, the expected future change in Modesto, California regarding its proposed status as a ‘master stocking hub’, and the funding of expansion plans. The following factors are among those that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those predicted in such forward-looking statements: (i) an upturn or downturn in the economy could cause store openings to change from that expected, and could impact the conversion of stores to the CSP2rate at which additional outside sales personnel are added and CSP3 formats, (ii) disruption related to the CSP2 or CSP3 implementation could cause expenses and investments to increase, which in turn could cause us to reevaluate implementation of those projects, (iii) our ability to develop an operational model to evaluate our CSP3 project may impact the number of CSP3 stores we open, (iv) a change in our growth west of the Rocky Mountains, or a change in need, could alter our plans regarding Modesto, California, and (v)grow average store sales, (ii) a change, from that projected, in the number of markets able to support future store sites, the success of the additional outside sales people, and our ability to successfully attract and retain qualified personnel to staff our stores could impact the rate of new stores openings.openings, (iii) a change in accounts receivable collections, a change in the economy from that currently being experienced, a change in buying patterns, or a change in vendor production lead times could cause us to fail to attain our goals regarding working capital (including inventory) and rates of return on assets, (iv) a change in our growth west of the Rocky Mountains, or a change in need, could alter our plans regarding Modesto, California, and (v) a change in accounting for stock-based compensation or the assumptions used could change the amount of stock-based compensation recognized. A discussion of other risks and uncertainties which could cause the Company’s operating results to vary from anticipated results or which could materially adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition or operating results is included in the Company’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K (Item 1A of Part I) and in the Company’s most recent Annual Report to Shareholders (under the section captioned “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”). We assume no obligation to update any forward looking statements or any discussions of risks and uncertainities.

 

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ITEM 3.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

We are exposed to certain market risks from changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, commodity steel pricing, and commodity steel pricing.fuel prices. Changes in these factors cause fluctuations in our earnings and cash flows. We evaluate and manage exposure to these market risks as follows:

Interest Rates—We have two linesa line of credit totaling $40 million of which $0 was outstanding at March 31,September 30, 2007. Each of the linesThe line bears interest at 0.9% over the LIBOR rate. We pay no fee for the unused portion of the linesline of credit.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rates—Foreign currency fluctuations can affect our net investments and earnings denominated in foreign currencies. Our primary exchange rate exposure is with the Canadian dollar against the United States dollar. Our estimated net earnings exposure for foreign currency exchange rates was not material at March 31,September 30, 2007.

Commodity Steel Pricing—We buy and sell various types of steel products; these products consist primarily of different types of threaded fasteners. During the last decade, there has been nominal movement in overall steel pricing, with some deflation occurring in the wake of the economic crisis of the Far East markets that occurred in the late 1990’s. This trend reversed to inflation in the period from late 2003 to the early part of 2005. We are exposed to the impacts of commodity steel pricing and our related ability to pass through the impacts to our end customers.

Commodity Fuel Prices—We have market risk for changes in unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel; however, this risk is largely mitigated by our ability to pass freight cost to our customers and the efficiency of our trucking distribution network.

ITEM 4.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures—As of the end of the period covered by this report, we conducted an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of Fastenal, of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)). Based on this evaluation, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer, to allow for timely decisions regarding disclosure. There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recently completed fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

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PART II—II - OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On October 18, 2007, a complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Fastenal Company on behalf of two former employees claiming to represent all employees employed in the store position of Assistant General Manager in the United States within three years prior to the filing date (four years for California employees). The suit alleges Fastenal misclassified its Assistant General Managers as exempt for purposes of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and California and Pennsylvania state statutes. This suit also alleges that Assistant General Managers in California did not receive sufficient meal breaks and paid rest periods under the California Labor Code. The plaintiffs seek class action status. This action is in a preliminary stage. We are not currently able to predict the outcome of this action or reasonably estimate a range of potential loss. We intend to vigorously defend this action.

ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS

We are affected by risks specific to us as well as factors that affect all businesses operating in a global market. The significant factors known to us that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or operating results are described in Item 1 of Part II above and in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K (Item 1A of Part I). There has been no material change in those risk factors.

 

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ITEM 2.UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES1

(information reflects a two-for-one stock split effect in November 2005)

 

Period

  (a) Total Number
of Shares (or
Units) Purchased
  (b) Average
Price Paid per
Share (or
Unit)
  (c) Total
Number of
Shares (or Units)
Purchased as
Part of Publicly
Announced
Plans or
Programs
  (d)
Maximum
Number (or
Approximate
Dollar Value)
that May Yet
Be Purchased
Under the
Plans or
Programs
   (a) Total Number
of Shares (or
Units) Purchased
  (b) Average
Price Paid per
Share (or
Unit)
  (c) Total
Number of
Shares (or Units)
Purchased as
Part of Publicly
Announced
Plans or
Programs
  (d) Maximum
Number (or
Approximate
Dollar Value)
that May Yet
Be Purchased
Under the
Plans or
Programs
 

March 2007

  100,000  $34.35  100,000  986,0002

July 2007

  50,000  $45.34  50,000  1,401,800 

August 2007

  200,000  $44.87  200,000  1,201,800 

September 2007

  —     —    —    1,201,8002
           

Total

  250,000  $44.96  250,000  
           

1

On April 22, 2005,January 18, 2007, we announced that our Board of Directors had authorized purchases by us of up to 760,000 shares of our common stock. On June 13, 2006, we announced that our Board of Directors had authorized purchases by us of up to an additional 500,0001,000,000 shares of our common stock (over and above previously authorized amounts). On January 18,July 11, 2007, we announced that our boardBoard of directorsDirectors had authorized purchases by us of up to an additional 1,000,000 shares of our common stock (over and above previously authorized amounts). The authorizations do not have an expiration date. All of the purchases described in the table were made pursuant to these authorizations to the extent necessary to use up any remaining authorizations on a first-in, first-out (or FIFO) basis.

2

TheOf the remaining 986,0001,201,800 shares, 201,800 are related to the January 2007 authorization and 1,000,000 are related to the July 2007 authorization. We may continue to make repurchases under this authorization.both of these authorizations.

None of the above-described authorizations have an expiration date.

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ITEM 6.EXHIBITS

 

  3.1  Restated Articles of Incorporation of Fastenal Company, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Fastenal Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2005)
  3.2  Restated By-Laws of Fastenal Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Registration Statement No. 33-14923)
31  Certifications under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32  Certification under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

  FASTENAL COMPANY
 

/s/ Willard D. Oberton

 (Willard D. Oberton, Chief Executive Officer)
 (Duly Authorized Officer)

Date May 1,October 31, 2007

 

/s/ Daniel L. Florness

 (Daniel L. Florness, Chief Financial Officer)
 (Principal Financial Officer)

 

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

  3.1

  Restated Articles of Incorporation of Fastenal Company, as amended  

(Incorporated by reference to

Exhibit 3.1 to Fastenal Company’s

Form 10-Q for the quarter ended

September 30, 2005)

  3.2

  Restated By-Laws of Fastenal Company  

(Incorporated by reference to

Exhibit 3.2 to Registration

Statement No. 33-14923)

31

  Certifications under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002  Electronically Filed

32

  Certification under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002  Electronically Filed