<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Provident Trust Co. lowered its holdings in  Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST - Free Report) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor  owned 5,169,588 shares of the company's stock after selling 222,767 shares during the period. Fastenal comprises about  3.5% of Provident Trust Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Provident Trust Co. owned 0.45% of Fastenal worth $207,456,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.</p><ul><li>Fastenal Stock Slips After Earnings: 5 Reasons To Buy the Dip </li></ul><p>A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in FAST. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in  Fastenal by 106.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 7,943,217 shares in the last quarter.  Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in  Fastenal by 1.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,515,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,430,322,000 after purchasing an additional 2,346,045 shares in the last quarter.  Invesco Ltd. grew its position in  Fastenal by 14.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,215,875 shares of the company's stock valued at $893,307,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,116 shares in the last quarter.  American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in  Fastenal by 90.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,590,292 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,068,000 after purchasing an additional 1,707,396 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in  Fastenal by 112.1% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,771,861 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,418,000 after purchasing an additional 1,464,781 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own  81.38% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Fastenal Stock Performance</h2><p>Shares of FAST stock opened at $44.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $51.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $45.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.56. Fastenal Company has a one year low of $38.97 and a one year high of $50.63. </p><ul><li>The Hidden Value in Genuine Parts Company’s Spin-Off Plan</li></ul><p>Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 13th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30. The company had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.19 billion. Fastenal had a net margin of 15.39% and a return on equity of 33.25%. Fastenal's quarterly revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.52 EPS.  As a group, equities analysts predict that  Fastenal Company will post 1.23 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Fastenal Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.21%. </p><h2>Analyst Ratings Changes</h2><ul><li>MarketBeat Week in Review – 01/19 - 01/23</li></ul><p>A number of brokerages have commented on FAST. UBS Group  reiterated a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and issued a $46.00 price target on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Benchmark  reiterated a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Fastenal from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an &#34;outperform&#34; rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings  reiterated a &#34;buy (b-)&#34; rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein  reiterated an &#34;underperform&#34; rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued  a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fastenal currently has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus target price of $49.77.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Analysis on Fastenal</b></p><h2>Insider Activity</h2><p>In other news, Director Reyne K. Wisecup sold 36,920 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were 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 owned 40,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,893,600. This trade represents a 48.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own  0.28% of the company's stock. </p><h2>About Fastenal</h2> (Free Report)<p>Fastenal <span>NASDAQ: FAST<span></span></span> 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.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>Featured Articles</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Fastenal</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.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="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.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>

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<p>Provident Trust Co. reduced its stake in Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) by 4.1%, selling 222,767 shares in the fourth quarter, now holding 5,169,588 shares. Fastenal represents 3.5% of its portfolio. Other institutional investors, including Bank of America and Vanguard, have increased their positions in Fastenal. The stock opened at $44.91, with a market cap of $51.56 billion and a P/E ratio of 39.40. Fastenal announced a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share, with a yield of 2.1%. Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with five Buy, six Hold, and two Sell ratings.</p>

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BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH INT NON CUM PFD QQ

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1200TH PRF SERIES '5'

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 7.25% NON-CUM PERP CONV PFD SER L

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 5.875%NON CUM DEP SHS REP1/1000TH SER HH

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1200TH PRF SERIES '2'

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 5% DEP SHS REPR 1/1000TH NON CUM PFD LL

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHARES REP 1/1000TH PERP PFD SER 'E'

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION INCOME CAPITAL OBLIG NTS DUE 15/12/2066

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 4.375% DP SH RP 1/1000TH IN NON CU PF NN

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SH REP 1/1200TH PRF SER 1 USD25

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 5.375%DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH NON CUM SR KK

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 6%NON CUM DEP SHS EACH REP 1/1000 SER GG

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1200 PFD SER 4 USD25

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH NON CUM PFD SER SS

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 4.125%DEP SH REP 1/1000 PFD SER PP USD25

Bank of America Corp

RAYMOND JAMES FINANCIAL INC 6.375%DEP SHS REP 1/40TH FXD FLTG SER B

Provident Trust Co. Sells 222,767 Shares of Fastenal Company $FAST