15,231 Shares in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Acquired by Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 15,231 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,095,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Fastenal during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fastenal in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Fastenal in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Fastenal in the fourth quarter valued at about $68,000. Finally, Eastern Bank boosted its position in shares of Fastenal by 440.7% during the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 984 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 802 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Fastenal Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FAST opened at $74.42 on Friday. Fastenal has a 12 month low of $61.36 and a 12 month high of $84.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.48 and a 200-day moving average of $76.19. 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 company has a market capitalization of $42.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.04.

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

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This is an increase from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Fastenal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on FAST. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Fastenal from $86.00 to $82.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. HSBC lowered shares of Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. William Blair raised shares of Fastenal from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Fastenal from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Hsbc Global Res cut Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average 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.