B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Has $4.50 Million Stock Holdings in Fastenal Company $FAST

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its Fastenal stake by 33.9% in Q4 to 112,105 shares, worth about $4.50 million.
• Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares on March 5 at an average of $47.34, reducing their holding to 40,000 shares (a 48% drop); corporate insiders own 0.28% of the stock.
• Fastenal reported Q earnings of $0.30 EPS (in line) and revenue of $2.20 billion (up 12.4% YoY), announced a quarterly dividend of $0.24 ($0.96 annual, 2.1% yield), and has 81.38% institutional ownership with an average analyst target of $49.77 (consensus: Hold).

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG decreased its position in Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST - Free Report) by 33.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 112,105 shares of the company's stock after selling 57,507 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Fastenal were worth $4,499,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FAST. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Fastenal by 106.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 15,431,393 shares of the company's stock worth $648,118,000 after purchasing an additional 7,943,217 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,515,539 shares of the company's stock worth $7,430,322,000 after acquiring an additional 2,346,045 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,215,875 shares of the company's stock worth $893,307,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,116 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 90.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,590,292 shares of the company's stock worth $176,068,000 after acquiring an additional 1,707,396 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 112.1% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,771,861 shares of the company's stock worth $116,418,000 after acquiring an additional 1,464,781 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fastenal

In other news, Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.34, for a total value of $1,747,792.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,000 shares in the company, valued at $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 available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Fastenal Price Performance

Shares of FAST opened at $44.69 on Friday. Fastenal Company has a 1 year low of $38.97 and a 1 year high of $50.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The company has a market capitalization of $51.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50-day moving average of $45.81 and a 200-day moving average of $43.62.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 13th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30. Fastenal had a return on equity of 33.25% and a net margin of 15.39%.The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Fastenal Company will post 1.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Fastenal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 28th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 28th. Fastenal's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on FAST. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $42.00 target price on shares of Fastenal in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued a "positive" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Fastenal in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America increased their target price on Fastenal from $48.00 to $55.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Fastenal from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Fastenal from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Fastenal has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $49.77.

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.

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