The U.S. stock market traded low in Wednesday pre-market trading on the back of some messages on Twitter (TWTR, Financial) from President Donald Trump, in which he said he was considering air strikes in Syria.
Shares of Fastenal Co. (FAST, Financial) fell today after the company posted first-quarter adjusted EPS of 61 cents on revenue of $1.19 billion, which was 13.3% higher than the comparable period. Moreover, the company managed to beat revenue expectations by $10 million, staying in-line earnings expectations.
Further, the gross profit, as a percentage of net sales, declined 73 basis points to 48.7% in the first quarter of 2018 from 49.4% in the same trimester of 2017.
The operating cash flow reached $159.7 in the first quarter of 2018, representing 91.6% of the period's net earnings versus 156.8% in the year-ago quarter.
Gainers
· Mattel Inc. (MAT, Financial)
· Helmerich and Payne Inc. (HP, Financial)
· eBay Inc. (EBAY, Financial)
· Marriott International Inc. (MAR, Financial)
Losers
· Fastenal Co. (FAST, Financial)
· Deere & Co. (DE, Financial)
· Humana Inc. (HUM, Financial)
· Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY, Financial)
Global markets
The main European stock markets traded lower, with all the main indexes in red territory. The U.K.'s FTSE lost 0.17%, the France's CAC retreated 0.65%, the Germany's Dax fell 0.84% and Spain's Ibex slid 0.35%.
In Asia, markets closed mixed. Japan's Nikkei fel 0.49%, but India’s BSE Sensex closed up 0.18%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.55% and China's Shanghai gained 0.56%.
Disclosure: The author holds no position in any stocks mentioned.
