Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Fastenal Company $FAST

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its Fastenal stake by 2.5%, selling 78,792 shares and now holds 3,071,461 shares (about 0.27%) valued at roughly $123.3 million.
• Q1 results showed revenue strength—sales rose to $2.20 billion (≈12% YoY) with EPS of $0.30 in line with estimates—but management warned of a margin squeeze from higher oil/transport/tariff costs and flagged elevated 2026 capex (~$310–$330M) and a “challenging” Q2.
• Other major investors materially increased positions (e.g., Bank of America, Vanguard, Invesco), leaving institutional ownership around 81%, while insiders own 0.28% and two directors recently sold shares.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,071,461 shares of the company's stock after selling 78,792 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.27% of Fastenal worth $123,258,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of FAST. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 106.1% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 15,431,393 shares of the company's stock valued at $648,118,000 after acquiring 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 third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,515,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,430,322,000 after acquiring an additional 2,346,045 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 14.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,215,875 shares of the company's stock valued at $893,307,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,116 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 90.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,590,292 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,068,000 after acquiring an additional 1,707,396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 112.1% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,771,861 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,418,000 after acquiring an additional 1,464,781 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Fastenal

Here are the key news stories impacting Fastenal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Top-line strength — Q1 sales rose ~12% to $2.20B driven by contract wins, pricing and stronger daily sales, showing demand resilience. Fastenal 1Q Sales Jump on Pricing, Contract Wins
• Positive Sentiment: Improving U.S. manufacturing exposure — executives said business has been ramping up since last summer, supporting revenue durability if production trends continue. Fastenal CEO says business has been ‘slowly ramping up’ since last summer
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings in line — GAAP EPS of $0.30 met estimates and revenue roughly matched consensus, leaving little upside surprise to immediately boost the stock. Fastenal Company Reports 2026 First Quarter Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholder return maintained — company announced its quarterly dividend, keeping yield steady and supporting income-focused holders. Fastenal Company Reports 2026 First Quarter Earnings (dividend)
• Negative Sentiment: Margin squeeze from tariffs and energy — management warned that higher oil, transportation and tariff costs are outpacing the company’s ability to raise customer prices, compressing gross margin and worrying investors. Fastenal Sees Pricing Challenges From Higher Oil, Tariffs Flux
• Negative Sentiment: Higher capex and cautious outlook — Fastenal reiterated elevated 2026 capex (~$310–$330M / ~\$320M in some commentary) and called Q2 “challenging,” which raises near-term profit and free-cash-flow risk. Fastenal sees Q2 as challenging as it targets ~$320M 2026 CapEx amid tariff-driven price/cost
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and limited upside — with results in-line and clear near-term headwinds, analysts and investors signaled the stock may lack immediate upside at current premium multiples, driving selling pressure. Fastenal's Plunge Doesn't Make It Cheap Enough For An Upgrade

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FAST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $52.00 price target on Fastenal and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of Fastenal in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wolfe Research raised their price target on Fastenal from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating on shares of Fastenal in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Fastenal from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $49.17.

Insider Transactions at Fastenal

In other Fastenal news, Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.34, for a total transaction of $1,747,792.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 40,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,893,600. The trade was a 48.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott Satterlee sold 15,964 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.19, for a total value of $705,449.16. Following the sale, the director owned 50,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,209,500. This represents a 24.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Fastenal Price Performance

NASDAQ FAST opened at $45.78 on Tuesday. Fastenal Company has a one year low of $38.97 and a one year high of $50.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $46.13 and a 200 day moving average of $43.76. The company has a market capitalization of $52.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.62, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a current ratio of 4.85.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 13th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.30. Fastenal had a return on equity of 32.83% and a net margin of 15.35%.The company had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.52 EPS. Fastenal's revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Fastenal Company will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.

Fastenal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 87.27%.

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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