Cantillon Capital Management LLC Sells 101,328 Shares of Fastenal Company $FAST

Cantillon Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,196,705 shares of the company’s stock after selling 101,328 shares during the quarter. Fastenal comprises 2.5% of Cantillon Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Cantillon Capital Management LLC owned 0.80% of Fastenal worth $451,006,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Fastenal by 103.5% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 149,169,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,265,119,000 after purchasing an additional 75,852,223 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Fastenal by 99.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 54,317,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,281,330,000 after purchasing an additional 27,107,520 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Fastenal by 103.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 45,995,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,931,830,000 after buying an additional 23,380,022 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Fastenal by 103.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,984,281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,506,141,000 after buying an additional 18,329,847 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake 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 buying an additional 16,308,254 shares during the period. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fastenal Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:FAST opened at $44.78 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $51.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.90. Fastenal Company has a twelve month low of $35.31 and a twelve month high of $50.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $41.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.43. The company has a quick ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 4.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26. Fastenal had a net margin of 15.35% and a return on equity of 32.83%. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Fastenal Company will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 29th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Fastenal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Fastenal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.24%.

Fastenal News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Fastenal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat / cash flow strength — FAST reported EPS roughly in line with expectations while cash from operations jumped ~30%, supporting capital returns and dividend sustainability. Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and balance sheet remain strengths — analysts and commentators highlight Fastenal’s long dividend increase streak, low leverage, and capacity to raise the payout, which underpins investor support. Dividend Article
• Positive Sentiment: “Buy zone” narrative and institutional accumulation — MarketBeat argues the post‑pullback price sits at support where institutions have been net buyers, creating a potential base if end‑markets improve. MarketBeat Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst views — coverage diverges, with some seeing recovery potential tied to construction and manufacturing data, while others remain cautious; the Globe and Mail summarizes these conflicting sentiments. Globe and Mail
• Neutral Sentiment: Management tone and 2026 catalysts — Company commentary and coverage note potential upside from improving end‑market indicators (housing, manufacturing) and digital/AI investments, but no formal guidance was given. Earnings Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and tariff-driven demand softness — Q4 revenue slightly missed consensus and several reports point to higher tariffs weighing on demand, pressuring near‑term growth. MSN: Revenue Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure and share reaction — Coverage notes mild gross‑margin contraction from higher input costs; headlines report a share pullback after Q4 on margin concerns. MSN: Margin Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade / lower price target — Wolfe Research cut its price target and maintained an underperform rating, signaling short‑term downside risk relative to current valuation. MarketScreener Wolfe PT

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sarah N. Nielsen purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $39.60 per share, for a total transaction of $39,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $198,000. This trade represents a 25.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hsenghung Sam Hsu acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $49.58 per share, for a total transaction of $49,580.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,800. This represents a 11.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on FAST shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $52.00 target price on Fastenal and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Barclays set a $43.00 price objective on Fastenal and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of Fastenal from $43.00 to $42.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.00.

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.