Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Stake Raised by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 735.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 502,563 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 442,418 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. owned about 0.09% of Fastenal worth $32,551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Fastenal by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 14,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $913,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Fastenal by 85.1% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 2,179,453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,163,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002,004 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its position in shares of Fastenal by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 205,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,296,000 after buying an additional 14,141 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Fastenal by 283.2% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LGT Group Foundation raised its stake in Fastenal by 36.0% during the fourth quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 623,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,411,000 after acquiring an additional 164,971 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Fastenal Trading Down 0.1 %

FAST traded down $0.09 during trading on Thursday, hitting $68.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,080,111 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,957,130. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 4.83 and a quick ratio of 2.49. Fastenal has a twelve month low of $52.85 and a twelve month high of $79.04. The stock has a market cap of $38.98 billion, a PE ratio of 33.75, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $73.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.00.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Fastenal will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Fastenal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 25th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 24th. Fastenal’s payout ratio is currently 77.23%.

Insider Transactions at Fastenal

In related news, Director Daniel L. Johnson acquired 3,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.38 per share, for a total transaction of $229,073.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $724,486.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Fastenal news, Director Daniel L. Johnson bought 3,350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $68.38 per share, for a total transaction of $229,073.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $724,486.10. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Charles S. Miller sold 11,076 shares of the 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 36,082 shares of company stock valued at $2,584,060. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Fastenal 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.