Kampmann Melissa S. Cuts Stake in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST)

Kampmann Melissa S. reduced its stake in shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 45,995 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,235 shares during the quarter. Fastenal comprises approximately 2.6% of Kampmann Melissa S.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Kampmann Melissa S.’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $3,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FAST. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Fastenal by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 205,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,693,000 after buying an additional 36,673 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 3.8% in the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 13,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 11.1% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 110,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,866,000 after purchasing an additional 10,997 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 9.6% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 3,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Fastenal in the third quarter valued at $9,132,000. 81.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fastenal Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:FAST opened at $76.46 on Thursday. Fastenal has a twelve month low of $61.36 and a twelve month high of $84.88. The company has a market cap of $43.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.47. The company has a current ratio of 4.67, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last released 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 the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Fastenal had a net margin of 15.25% and a return on equity of 32.55%. The business’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Fastenal will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.43 dividend. This is an increase from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. Fastenal’s payout ratio is presently 85.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FAST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. William Blair raised shares of Fastenal from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Fastenal from $86.00 to $82.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. HSBC downgraded Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised their price target on Fastenal from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.