Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Stock Holdings Raised by Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 40,681 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $2,635,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of FAST. Hartford Financial Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Fastenal by 46.9% during the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 479 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in Fastenal during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Fastenal in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Fastenal by 283.2% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 1,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jeffery Michael Watts sold 19,420 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.25, for a total value of $1,364,255.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,940 shares in the company, valued at $417,285. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Fastenal news, insider Jeffery Michael Watts sold 19,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.25, for a total value of $1,364,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,940 shares in the company, valued at $417,285. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel L. Johnson purchased 3,350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.38 per share, with a total value of $229,073.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $724,486.10. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 36,082 shares of company stock worth $2,584,060. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FAST has been the subject of several research reports. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Fastenal from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. 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 note on Friday, April 12th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Fastenal from $71.00 to $66.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $67.67.

Fastenal Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FAST traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $68.43. The stock had a trading volume of 2,592,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,096,502. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a current ratio of 4.83. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.88, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.07. Fastenal has a 1-year low of $52.85 and a 1-year high of $79.04.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.01). Fastenal had a net margin of 15.68% and a return on equity of 33.98%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Fastenal will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 24th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Fastenal’s payout ratio is 77.23%.

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.