Mather Group LLC. Sells 3,091 Shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST)

Mather Group LLC. reduced its position in shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 50.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,097 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,091 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $201,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hartford Financial Management Inc. increased its position in Fastenal by 46.9% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 479 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Fastenal in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Fastenal during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in Fastenal during the 3rd quarter valued at $66,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fastenal Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ FAST opened at $68.43 on Friday. Fastenal has a 1-year low of $52.85 and a 1-year high of $79.04. The company has a 50-day moving average of $73.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.01. The company has a market cap of $39.18 billion, a PE ratio of 33.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.57 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.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.91 billion. Fastenal had a return on equity of 33.98% and a net margin of 15.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.52 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Fastenal will post 2.12 earnings per share 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 given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 24th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. Fastenal’s payout ratio is 77.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Fastenal news, Director Daniel L. Johnson bought 3,350 shares of Fastenal stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.38 per share, with a total value of $229,073.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $724,486.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Anthony Paul Broersma sold 5,586 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.34, for a total value of $387,333.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel L. Johnson acquired 3,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.38 per share, with a total value of $229,073.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $724,486.10. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 36,082 shares of company stock valued at $2,584,060. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FAST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of 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 boosted their target price on shares of Fastenal from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Fastenal from $77.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Fastenal from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Fastenal presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.67.

Fastenal Company 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.