Q: I’d appreciate your comments on Fastenal. It looks like a good stock. Thanks for all your great recommendations over the years!

A: Fastenal Company, $70.13, symbol FAST on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 572.2 million; Market cap: $40.1 billion; www.fastenal.com), is a leading wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It draws almost all its clients from the construction and manufacturing industries.

Those construction customers include general, electrical, plumbing,… Read More

A good way to tap into rising resource prices

Finning’s earnings generally depend on cyclical commodities, particularly crude oil and copper. We think their prices will resume their upward direction in the next few years. Moreover, increasing government spending on infrastructure projects helps offset that cyclical risk.
FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC. $36 is a buy. The company (Toronto… Read More

Here’s a look at the pros and cons of small caps

Smaller companies can generate higher returns than their larger counterparts, but their shares are often riskier and less liquid, and may underperform for long periods.
Small cap stocks are also more volatile in times of unsettled or falling markets.
Still, if you focus on the best-quality small companies—or… Read More