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

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,071,461 shares of the company’s stock after selling 78,792 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Fastenal were worth $123,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FAST. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in shares of Fastenal by 71.6% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fastenal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Fastenal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Financial Perspectives Inc lifted its position in shares of Fastenal by 414.0% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fastenal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 81.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Fastenal from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares of the company’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 transaction of $1,747,792.80. Following the sale, the director directly owned 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,893,600. This represents a 48.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Scott Satterlee sold 15,964 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.19, for a total value of $705,449.16. Following the sale, the director directly owned 50,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,209,500. This trade represents a 24.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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

Fastenal Stock Down 6.9%

NASDAQ FAST opened at $45.78 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $46.13 and its 200 day moving average is $43.76. The company has a current ratio of 4.85, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Fastenal Company has a 12 month low of $38.97 and a 12 month high of $50.63. The stock has a market cap of $52.57 billion, a PE ratio of 41.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.84.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 13th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Fastenal Company will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fastenal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 28th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. 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.