Core Viewpoint - Fastenal Co. experienced a decline in share price by approximately 4 percent in pre-market trading due to third-quarter profit falling short of market expectations despite an increase in net sales [1] Financial Performance - Net income for the third quarter increased by 12.6 percent to $335.5 million compared to $298.1 million in the previous year [2] - Earnings per share rose to $0.29, reflecting a 12.3 percent increase from $0.26 a year ago, although Wall Street analysts had anticipated earnings of $0.30 per share [2] - Operating income as a percentage of net sales improved to 20.7 percent from 20.3 percent in the same quarter of the previous year [2] Sales Growth - The company's net sales for the quarter grew by 11.7 percent to $2.133 billion, up from $1.910 billion last year, aligning with market expectations of $2.13 billion [3] - Daily sales increased by 11.7 percent to $33.3 million from $29.8 million in the previous year [4] Dividends and Future Outlook - The Board declared a dividend of $0.22 payable in the fourth quarter, with plans to return over $1 billion in dividends to shareholders in 2025 [4] - The company expressed confidence in its ability to generate strong cash flow moving forward [4]

Group 1 - The article discusses the recent actions of billionaire fund managers who sold shares of Fastenal, a company that has experienced significant stock price appreciation and has completed multiple stock splits over the years [1][7][15] - Fastenal has delivered a total return exceeding 214,000% since its IPO in 1987, marking its ninth stock split recently [15][19] - The article highlights that while stock splits can attract investor interest, they do not fundamentally change a company's market cap or performance [8][9] Group 2 - Billionaire fund managers Cliff Asness and Israel Englander reduced their stakes in Fastenal, with Asness selling about 519,000 shares and Englander selling roughly 203,000 shares [17][19] - The forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of Fastenal is currently 35, which is a 16% premium compared to its average over the past five years, potentially influencing the decision to sell [19] - Fastenal's business is closely tied to the health of the U.S. and global economy, with its operations expected to grow alongside economic expansion [20][21]