Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Purchases 11,413 Shares of Fastenal Company $FAST

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. purchased a new position in Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 11,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $565,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FAST. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in Fastenal by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 15,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $791,000 after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 292.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,100,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,035,000 after buying an additional 1,565,849 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Fastenal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,003,000. Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its stake in shares of Fastenal by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 71,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,555,000 after buying an additional 4,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Fastenal in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $543,000. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Fastenal

In other Fastenal news, Director Rita J. Heise sold 34,964 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.05, for a total transaction of $1,749,948.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,000. This represents a 63.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Ancius sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total value of $147,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 58,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,875,810. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Fastenal

Here are the key news stories impacting Fastenal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fastenal reported third-quarter revenue of $2.46 billion, up 15.5% year over year, while diluted EPS increased to $0.35 from $0.29 and exceeded the $0.34 consensus estimate. Operating margin improved to 21.5% as higher volumes helped leverage selling and administrative expenses. Fastenal Company Reports 2026 Third Quarter Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Growth with larger customers, manufacturing demand, Onsite services and digital supply-chain solutions supported the quarter. Some analysts raised their forecasts, including Robert W. Baird, which lifted its price target to $60 and maintained an Outperform rating. Analysts Boost Forecasts After Q3 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share, or $1.04 annualized, reinforcing its shareholder-return appeal. Fastenal Announces Fourth-Quarter Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains divided. DA Davidson retained a Neutral rating after cutting estimates, while other analysts increased price targets. The mixed outlook is notable given Fastenal’s elevated valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: September sales growth reportedly fell short of expectations, tempering enthusiasm over the headline quarterly beat. Fastenal also reduced its 2026 target for weighted FASTBin and FASTVend signings to 27,000–29,000 from 28,000–30,000, signaling somewhat softer expansion expectations. Fastenal Analyst Cuts Estimates After Q3 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Gross margin contracted to 44.8% from 45.3%, partly because larger customers generate lower margins even when they contribute more profit dollars. Investors are also weighing heavier spending needs and the stock’s premium earnings multiple. Fastenal Q3: The Math Behind My Sell Rating

Fastenal Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FAST opened at $50.38 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a 50-day moving average of $50.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.50. Fastenal Company has a fifty-two week low of $38.97 and a fifty-two week high of $52.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 3.93 and a quick ratio of 2.21.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 14th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.44 billion. Fastenal had a return on equity of 35.13% and a net margin of 15.62%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Fastenal Company will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 28th will be issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 28th. Fastenal’s payout ratio is 88.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FAST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Fastenal from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $55.00 target price on shares of Fastenal and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Fastenal from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Fastenal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.83.

About Fastenal

Fastenal Company is a distributor of industrial and construction supplies serving businesses, contractors, manufacturers and other organizations. Its product offerings include fasteners such as bolts, nuts and screws, as well as safety equipment, tools, cutting tools, material-handling products, electrical and plumbing supplies, and maintenance and repair items.

The company sells products through a network of branch locations, onsite customer facilities, industrial vending machines and digital platforms.