Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Shares Sold by Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group decreased its stake in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 19.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,773 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,882 shares during the period. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $1,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Fastenal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Fastenal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Fastenal during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Fastenal during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Fastenal during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Fastenal Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of FAST stock opened at $75.99 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $43.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 4.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Fastenal has a fifty-two week low of $61.36 and a fifty-two week high of $84.88. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $74.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.20.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Fastenal had a net margin of 15.25% and a return on equity of 32.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Fastenal will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. This is a boost from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. Fastenal’s payout ratio is 85.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on FAST shares. William Blair upgraded shares of Fastenal from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of Fastenal from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Fastenal in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $88.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Fastenal from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Fastenal from $86.00 to $82.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.91.

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.