Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Shares Purchased by Mizuho Securities USA LLC

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST - Free Report) by 46.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 54,297 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 17,164 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Fastenal were worth $3,904,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in Fastenal by 1.6% during the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 8,664 shares of the company's stock worth $619,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,674 shares of the company's stock worth $840,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Fastenal by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,985 shares of the company's stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Fastenal by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,008 shares of the company's stock worth $504,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Fastenal by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,038 shares of the company's stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Fastenal Stock Performance

Shares of FAST stock traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $77.73. 2,550,316 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,924,072. 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 has a 1 year low of $61.36 and a 1 year high of $84.88. The company has a market cap of $44.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.05. The company's 50 day moving average is $75.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.82.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.02). The firm 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Fastenal will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This is a boost from Fastenal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. Fastenal's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FAST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HSBC cut 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Fastenal from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Hsbc Global Res lowered Fastenal from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Fastenal from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Fastenal from $86.00 to $82.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Fastenal presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.