Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST)

Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) by 17.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,798 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 700 shares during the quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $345,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FAST. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fastenal in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Fastenal during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Fastenal during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Fastenal during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fastenal in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Fastenal Price Performance

FAST stock opened at $79.98 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $74.27 and a 200 day moving average of $75.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 4.67 and a quick ratio of 2.28. The company has a market cap of $45.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.79, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.05. Fastenal has a 1 year low of $61.36 and a 1 year high of $84.88.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.02). Fastenal had a return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 15.25%. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Fastenal will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. This is a positive change from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Fastenal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Hsbc Global Res cut Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Fastenal in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $88.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Fastenal from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Wolfe Research raised their price target on shares of Fastenal from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.91.

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.