Fastenal Company $FAST Stock Position Increased by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL boosted its position in Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,965,564 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 142,591 shares during the quarter. Fastenal makes up about 0.9% of Blair William & Co. IL’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $341,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Fastenal by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,515,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,430,322,000 after buying an additional 2,346,045 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 3.6% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,558,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,433,000 after acquiring an additional 53,888 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Fastenal by 6.3% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,713,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,626,000 after acquiring an additional 219,154 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Fastenal by 7,923.2% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,268,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,222,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252,981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arjuna Capital acquired a new stake in Fastenal in the third quarter worth approximately $3,999,000. Institutional investors own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on FAST. Barclays upped their price objective on Fastenal from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Fastenal in a report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on shares of Fastenal from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.83.

Fastenal News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Fastenal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: February sales acceleration beat expectations, showing continued demand momentum that supports revenue growth and could underpin further upside for FAST. Fastenal’s February: Continued Sales Acceleration Tops Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its price target to $52 and maintained an “outperform” rating, implying roughly double-digit upside vs. current levels — a clear near-term positive signal from a reputable sell-side firm. Baird raises Fastenal price target to $52
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/market commentary highlighted improved relative strength for Fastenal, which can attract momentum and quant-driven buying if the trend continues. Stocks generating improved relative strength: Fastenal
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays nudged its target up to $44 but kept an “equal weight” rating — a modest lift in valuation but still signaling limited near-term upside from that shop. Barclays adjusts price target on Fastenal Company to $44 from $43; maintains equal-weight rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga published an analyst-roundup summarizing where Fastenal sits with the sell-side — useful context for consensus positioning but not a single catalyst. Where Fastenal Stands With Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Published short-interest data shows an implausible “0 shares” figure and NaN increases — this appears to be a reporting glitch, so it should not be interpreted as a real rise in short interest. (No reliable article link available.)
• Negative Sentiment: Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares (~$1.75M at the sale price), cutting their holding by 48%. Insider selling at this scale can spook investors even if there are benign reasons; it’s a notable near-term negative signal. Insider sale: Reyne K. Wisecup sold Fastenal shares

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Fastenal news, Director Scott Satterlee sold 15,964 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.19, for a total transaction of $705,449.16. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,209,500. This trade represents a 24.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.34, for a total transaction of $1,747,792.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,893,600. The trade was a 48.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Fastenal Stock Performance

Shares of FAST opened at $46.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.35 billion, a PE ratio of 42.24, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a current ratio of 4.85. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $44.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.31. Fastenal Company has a 52 week low of $35.31 and a 52 week high of $50.63.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.26. Fastenal had a net margin of 15.35% and a return on equity of 32.83%. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. Fastenal’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Fastenal Company will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 29th were issued a $0.24 dividend. This is an increase from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 29th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Fastenal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 87.27%.

About Fastenal

Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is a wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, best known for its broad assortment of fasteners such as bolts, nuts, screws and anchors. Founded in Winona, Minnesota, Fastenal has grown from a regional supplier into a national and international distributor serving a wide range of end markets, including manufacturing, construction, maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), and government customers. The company is publicly traded and operates through a network of locally staffed branches combined with national distribution capabilities.

Product offerings extend beyond fasteners to include tools, safety and personal protective equipment, power transmission components, cutting and welding supplies, janitorial and material handling items, and other industrial consumables.