7,635 Shares in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Bought by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 7,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $549,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Fastenal in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Fastenal in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Fastenal during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Fastenal by 54.1% during the third quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 635 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Fastenal during the fourth quarter valued at about $68,000. 81.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Fastenal Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ FAST opened at $73.68 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a current ratio of 4.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.66, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $75.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.04. Fastenal has a 52-week low of $61.36 and a 52-week high of $84.88.

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

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This is a positive change from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. Fastenal’s payout ratio is 85.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on FAST shares. HSBC cut 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 decreased 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. UBS Group began coverage on Fastenal in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $88.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Fastenal from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Fastenal from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Fastenal has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.