Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Shares Sold by Hills Bank & Trust Co

Hills Bank & Trust Co decreased its position in shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 206,811 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,820 shares during the period. Fastenal accounts for approximately 1.3% of Hills Bank & Trust Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $13,395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hartford Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Fastenal during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Fastenal during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Fastenal by 283.2% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the period. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 77.7% in the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 1,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Fastenal from $71.00 to $66.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Fastenal from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Fastenal from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, HSBC lifted their target price on shares of Fastenal from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.33.

Fastenal Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FAST traded up $0.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $67.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 765,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,914,022. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.86 billion, a PE ratio of 33.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 4.83, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.29. Fastenal has a 12 month low of $52.86 and a 12 month high of $79.04.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.91 billion. Fastenal had a return on equity of 33.98% and a net margin of 15.68%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.52 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Fastenal will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 25th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 24th. Fastenal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.23%.

Insider Transactions at Fastenal

In other Fastenal news, Director Daniel L. Johnson purchased 3,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.38 per share, with a total value of $229,073.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $724,486.10. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Jeffery Michael Watts sold 19,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.25, for a total value of $1,364,255.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $417,285. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel L. Johnson purchased 3,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.38 per share, for a total transaction of $229,073.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $724,486.10. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.