Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Stock Position Raised by Certuity LLC

Certuity LLC raised its position in shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 68.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,793 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,750 shares during the period. Certuity LLC’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norden Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Fastenal by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 4,687 shares of the company’s stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of Fastenal by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 13,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $855,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Fastenal by 89.1% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 11,399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $738,000 after acquiring an additional 5,372 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Fastenal by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 101,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,588,000 after acquiring an additional 5,509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC bought a new position in shares of Fastenal in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $692,000. 81.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fastenal Trading Down 0.8 %

FAST stock opened at $67.94 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $38.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.63, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.05. Fastenal has a twelve month low of $52.85 and a twelve month high of $79.04. The company has a quick ratio of 2.49, a current ratio of 4.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The business has a fifty day moving average of $73.33 and a 200-day moving average of $66.99.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.01). Fastenal had a return on equity of 33.98% and a net margin of 15.68%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.91 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Fastenal will post 2.12 EPS for the current year.

Fastenal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 25th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 24th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. Fastenal’s payout ratio is 77.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fastenal

In other Fastenal news, VP Charles S. Miller sold 11,076 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.16, for a total value of $832,472.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Charles S. Miller sold 11,076 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.16, for a total transaction of $832,472.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daniel L. Johnson purchased 3,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.38 per share, with a total value of $229,073.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $724,486.10. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,082 shares of company stock valued at $2,584,060. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on FAST shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Fastenal from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Fastenal from $77.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 12th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on Fastenal from $71.00 to $66.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, HSBC raised their target price on Fastenal from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.67.

Fastenal Company Profile

Fastenal Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, North America, and internationally. It offers fasteners, and related industrial and construction supplies under the Fastenal name. The company's fastener products include threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers that are used in manufactured products and construction projects, as well as in the maintenance and repair of machines.