Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Shares Acquired by KLCM Advisors Inc.

KLCM Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,140 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 300 shares during the quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $1,233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its stake in Fastenal by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 58,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,201,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Fastenal by 34.3% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 1,930 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Fastenal by 84.1% during the third quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 6,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $497,000 after buying an additional 3,180 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Fastenal in the third quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Fastenal by 121.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,193 shares of the company’s stock worth $585,000 after acquiring an additional 4,494 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fastenal Price Performance

Shares of FAST opened at $74.78 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $42.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.20, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $74.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 4.67 and a quick ratio of 2.28. Fastenal has a 12 month low of $61.36 and a 12 month high of $84.88.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Fastenal will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. This is a positive change from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Fastenal’s payout ratio is presently 85.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Fastenal from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Hsbc Global Res lowered Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. HSBC lowered Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Fastenal from $86.00 to $82.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on Fastenal from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.91.

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.