<div id="readability-page-1"><p><span>Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST - Get Free Report)</span> was upgraded by UBS Group from a &#34;neutral&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $52.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $45.00. UBS Group's target price would suggest a potential upside of 22.34% from the company's current price.</p><ul><li>3 Oversold Large-Caps That Look Ripe for a Rebound</li></ul><p>Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Fastenal in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an &#34;underperform&#34; rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. lifted their target price on shares of Fastenal from $41.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Fastenal from an &#34;underperform&#34; rating to a &#34;peer perform&#34; rating and set a $43.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Fastenal from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 13th. One equities research analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued  a Buy rating, eight have issued  a Hold rating and one  has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average target price of $48.73.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Research Report on FAST</b></p><h2>Fastenal Trading Up 1.2%</h2><ul><li>Fastenal Stock Pulls Back in October—Is It Time to Buy FAST?</li></ul><p>NASDAQ:FAST traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $42.51. The company had a trading volume of 2,438,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,545,649. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $41.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.42. The company has a market capitalization of $48.80 billion, a PE ratio of 39.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.89. Fastenal has a 52 week low of $35.31 and a 52 week high of $50.63. </p><p>Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. Fastenal had a return on equity of 32.69% and a net margin of 15.34%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share.  On average, equities research analysts predict that  Fastenal will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Insider Activity</h2><ul><li>Fastenal Surges After Earnings Beat, Tariff Risks Loom</li></ul><p>In other news, Director Hsenghung Sam Hsu bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $49.58 per share, with a total value of $49,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sarah N. Nielsen acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $39.60 per share, for a total transaction of $39,600.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 5,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $198,000. This trade represents a 25.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired 3,000 shares of company stock worth $131,630 over the last three months. Insiders own  0.37% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fastenal</h2><p>Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in  Fastenal by 103.5% during the second 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 boosted its stake 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 worth $2,281,330,000 after purchasing an additional 27,107,520 shares during the period.  Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in  Fastenal by 103.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 23,380,022 shares during the last quarter.  Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 period.  Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in  Fastenal by 87.9% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 34,851,036 shares of the company's stock worth $1,463,743,000 after purchasing an additional 16,308,254 shares during the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>Fastenal Company Profile</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>Fastenal Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, North America, and internationally. It offers fasteners, and related industrial and construction supplies under the Fastenal name. The company's fastener products include threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers that are used in manufactured products and construction projects, as well as in the maintenance and repair of machines.</p><h2>Recommended Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Fastenal</li><li>How to Use High Beta Stocks to Maximize Your Investing Profits</li><li>Super Micro's Sell-Off Is a Mirage—Here’s Why the Rally May Come Back Fast</li><li>What is a Stock Market Index and How Do You Use Them?</li><li>3 Companies Turning Big Cash Flow Into Bigger Shareholder Gains</li><li>How to Find Undervalued Stocks</li><li>GOOGL's Unstoppable Momentum Drives Price Targets to Record Highs</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsAndPriceTargetChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9RkFTVA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="330" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsAndPriceTargetChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9RkFTVA"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Fastenal Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Fastenal, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Fastenal wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Fastenal currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

FAST

<p>UBS Group upgraded Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) from "neutral" to "buy," raising the price target from $45.00 to $52.00, suggesting a 22.34% potential upside. Other analysts have mixed ratings, with a consensus "Hold" and an average target price of $48.73. Fastenal's stock traded up 1.2% to $42.51, with a market cap of $48.80 billion. Insiders recently acquired shares, and institutional investors like Vanguard Group increased their positions significantly.</p>

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Upgraded at UBS Group