Fastenal Company $FAST Holdings Cut by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) by 14.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,144,006 shares of the company’s stock after selling 188,162 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $56,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FAST. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Fastenal by 103.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 149,169,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,265,119,000 after acquiring an additional 75,852,223 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 99.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 54,317,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,281,330,000 after buying an additional 27,107,520 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Fastenal by 103.4% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 45,995,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,931,830,000 after purchasing an additional 23,380,022 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Fastenal by 103.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,984,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,506,141,000 after purchasing an additional 18,329,847 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Fastenal by 87.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 34,851,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,463,743,000 after acquiring an additional 16,308,254 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Fastenal news, Director Hsenghung Sam Hsu bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $49.58 per share, for a total transaction of $49,580.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,800. This trade represents a 11.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Sarah N. Nielsen purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.60 per share, for a total transaction of $39,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $198,000. The trade was a 25.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Fastenal Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ FAST opened at $42.62 on Wednesday. Fastenal Company has a 1 year low of $35.31 and a 1 year high of $50.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 4.26 and a quick ratio of 2.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $41.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.43.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.04 billion. Fastenal had a return on equity of 32.69% and a net margin of 15.34%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Fastenal Company will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 29th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 29th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Fastenal’s payout ratio is 89.72%.

More Fastenal News

Here are the key news stories impacting Fastenal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated digital-led growth momentum and operational initiatives that could lift sales and efficiency over time. Fastenal Earnings Call Highlights Digital-Led Growth Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Cash from operations strengthened materially (management cited a sizable increase), supporting the company’s strong balance sheet and ongoing dividend/capital-return story that underpins investor value. The Nuts and Bolts of Fastenal Earnings—And What Comes Next
• Neutral Sentiment: GAAP EPS of $0.26 was in-line with consensus, showing underlying earnings resilience despite the revenue and margin noise. Fastenal Company Reports 2025 Annual and Fourth Quarter Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Management did not issue detailed 2026 guidance but signaled optimism for volume recovery and continued investments (including digital/AI) that could weigh on near-term margins while aiming to drive long-term growth. Fastenal Co (FAST) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Gross-margin pressure was a key negative: management cited higher input and inventory costs (tariff-related headwinds), which compressed margins and raised concerns about pricing power. Fastenal shares slide after Q4 results show margin pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed the consensus by about $10M and the market reacted negatively; analysts flagged eroding pricing power and maintained cautious (Hold) stances, limiting upside near term. Fastenal shares fall 4% as Q4 revenue misses expectations Fastenal: Pricing Power Erodes and Margins Disappoint

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on FAST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Fastenal from $53.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Barclays set a $43.00 price objective on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research raised Fastenal from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating and set a $43.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fastenal in a report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.64.

About Fastenal

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.