Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Has $457,000 Stock Holdings in Fastenal Company $FAST

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA cut its position in Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) by 94.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 11,397 shares of the company’s stock after selling 197,619 shares during the period. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fastenal during the third quarter worth $30,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Fastenal during the third quarter worth $33,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fastenal during the third quarter worth $35,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fastenal during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fastenal during the third quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Fastenal from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Fastenal from $48.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued a “positive” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.77.

Fastenal Stock Down 2.0%

Fastenal stock opened at $43.30 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $49.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.75. Fastenal Company has a 1-year low of $38.97 and a 1-year high of $50.63. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.63. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 13th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30. The business had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Fastenal had a net margin of 15.39% and a return on equity of 33.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Fastenal Company will post 1.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 28th will be given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Fastenal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 84.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.34, for a total value of $1,747,792.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,893,600. This trade represents a 48.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Fastenal Profile

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.