Analysts expect the Winona, Minnesota-based company to report quarterly earnings at 48 cents per share, up from 46 cents per share in the year-ago period. Fastenal projects quarterly revenue of $1.84 billion, compared to $1.76 billion a year earlier, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
On Dec. 11, Stifel analyst Brian Butler downgraded Fastenal from Buy to Hold and maintained the price target of $86.
With the recent buzz around Fastenal, some investors may be eyeing potential gains from the company’s dividends too. Fastenal offers an annual dividend yield of 2.18%, which is a quarterly dividend amount of 39 cents per share ($1.56 a year).
So, how can investors exploit its dividend yield to pocket a regular $500 monthly?
To earn $500 per month or $6,000 annually from dividends alone, you would need an investment of approximately $275,489 or around 3,846 shares. For a more modest $100 per month or $1,200 per year, you would need $55,083 or around 769 shares.
To calculate: Divide the desired annual income ($6,000 or $1,200) by the dividend ($1.56 in this case). So, $6,000 / $1.56 = 3,846 ($500 per month), and $1,200 / $1.56 = 769 shares ($100 per month).
Note that dividend yield can change on a rolling basis, as the dividend payment and the stock price both fluctuate over time.
How that works: The dividend yield is computed by dividing the annual dividend payment by the stock’s current price.
For example, if a stock pays an annual dividend of $2 and is currently priced at $50, the dividend yield would be 4% ($2/$50). However, if the stock price increases to $60, the dividend yield drops to 3.33% ($2/$60). Conversely, if the stock price falls to $40, the dividend yield rises to 5% ($2/$40).
Similarly, changes in the dividend payment can impact the yield. If a company increases its dividend, the yield will also increase, provided the stock price stays the same. Conversely, if the dividend payment decreases, so will the yield.
Price Action: Shares of Fastenal fell 1.8% to close at $71.63 on Friday.
