Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Boosts Position in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 227,956 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,800 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $16,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Fastenal in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Fastenal during the third quarter valued at $27,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Fastenal in the third quarter worth $36,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Fastenal in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Fastenal in the fourth quarter worth approximately $68,000. 81.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Fastenal Stock Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ:FAST opened at $74.09 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $42.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.02. Fastenal has a twelve month low of $61.36 and a twelve month high of $84.88. The company has a current ratio of 4.67, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.54.

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

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is an increase from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Fastenal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on FAST. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective 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. HSBC cut shares of Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on Fastenal from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Hsbc Global Res cut Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $88.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.91.

About Fastenal

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.