Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Common Stock Data

Our shares are traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol ‘FAST’. As of January 24, 2014, there were approximately 1,300 record holders of our common stock, which includes nominees or broker dealers holding stock on behalf of an estimated 166,000 beneficial owners.

The following table sets forth, by quarter, the high and low closing sale price1 of our shares on The NASDAQ Stock Market for 2013 and 2012.

1 The closing sale price was obtained from Shareholder.com, a division of Nasdaq OMX.

The following table sets forth our dividend payout (per share basis) in each of the last three years:

*Due to income tax rate uncertainties in the United States, we paid a supplemental dividend in December 2012.

On January 14, 2014, we announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share to be paid on February 28, 2014 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 31, 2014. Our Board of Directors intends to continue paying quarterly dividends, provided that any future determination as to payment of dividends will depend upon the financial condition and results of operations of the Company and such other factors as are deemed relevant by the Board of Directors.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The table below sets forth information regarding purchases of our common stock during each of the last three months of 2013:

Purchases of shares of our common stock earlier in 2013 are described later in this Form 10-K under the heading ‘Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations’.

The Fastenal Company Common Stock Comparative Performance Graph

Set forth below is a graph comparing, for the five years ended December 31, 2013, the yearly cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock with the yearly cumulative total shareholder return of the S&P 500 Index, the Dow Jones US Industrial Suppliers Index, and an index (the 'Peer Group Index') of a group of peer companies selected by us (the 'Peer Group'). In prior years, we compared our total shareholder return with that of the S&P 500 Index and the Peer Group Index. However, we have decided to move away from the Peer Group Index because we believe that a broader-based index of public companies within our industry provides a more appropriate basis for comparison. Therefore, going forward, we will be comparing our total shareholder return with that of the S&P 500 Index and the Dow Jones US Industrial Suppliers Index. In accordance with SEC rules, we are including the total shareholder return of the Peer Group Index in this Form 10-K for transitional purposes, but will not be including the Peer Group information in future reports.

The companies in the Peer Group are Lawson Products, Inc., MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc., Airgas, Inc., and W.W. Grainger, Inc. Fastenal is not included in the Peer Group. In calculating the yearly cumulative total shareholder return of the Peer Group Index, the shareholder returns of the companies included in the Peer Group are weighted according to the stock market capitalization of such companies at the beginning of each period for which a return is indicated.

The comparison of total shareholder returns in the performance graph assumes that $100 was invested on December 31, 2008 in Fastenal Company, the Peer Group Index, the S&P 500 Index, and the Dow Jones US Industrial Suppliers Index, and that dividends were reinvested when and as paid.

Comparison of Five Year Cumulative Total Return Among Fastenal Company, the Peer Group Index,

the S&P 500 Index, and the Dow Jones US Industrial Suppliers Index

Note - The graph and index table above were obtained from Zachs SEC Compliance Services Group.