This week, Zacks Equity Strategist Mayur Thaker, CFA discusses:

• Fastenal (FAST) , the largest nationwide distributor of fasteners such as nails, screws, rivets, adhesives and much more. Mayur presents a deep dive into why Fastenal is a great example of exceptionally high quality, and the kind of company Zacks looks for in our Earnings Certain Portfolio (ECP).

• Mayur begins by presenting how the company is structured, and how it makes money. Fastenal combines manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, a large store network, and even on-site vending machines at factories with a strong e-commerce presence. He also points out data that shows how Fastenal’s innovative practices save their customers significant time and money.

• Finally, Mayur gets into the proof of this company’s quality with a review of Fastenal’s financials. He highlights 4 key metrics for quality—Linearity, Growth, Return on Invested Capital, and Free Cash Flow—and notes that Fastenal’s ROIC is nearly 30%, compared to the average aggregate S&P figure of ~10%. Learn more about this remarkable high-quality company in this week’s webinar.