269,147 Shares in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Purchased by DJE Kapital AG

DJE Kapital AG acquired a new position in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 269,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,356,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes 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. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Fastenal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Fastenal Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FAST opened at $75.73 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $74.09 and a 200 day moving average of $74.72. The company has a market capitalization of $43.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.68, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.02. Fastenal has a 1-year low of $61.36 and a 1-year high of $84.88. 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 (NASDAQ:FAST) last released its 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 firm 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Fastenal will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.43 dividend. This is an increase from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Fastenal’s payout ratio is presently 85.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on FAST. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Fastenal from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. UBS Group began coverage on Fastenal in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $88.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Fastenal from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Fastenal from $86.00 to $82.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.