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

Common Stock Data

Dollar amounts in this section are stated in whole numbers.

Our shares are traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol 'FAST'. As of January 20, 2017, there were approximately 1,100 record holders of our common stock, which includes nominees or broker dealers holding stock on behalf of an estimated 205,000 beneficial owners.

The following table sets forth, by quarter, the high and low closing sale price(1) of our shares on The NASDAQ Stock Market for 2016 and 2015.

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

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

On January 17, 2017, we announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share to be paid on February 28, 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 1, 2017. 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 2016:

(1) On May 1, 2015, our board of directors authorized the purchase by us of 4,000,000 shares of our common stock. As of December 31, 2016, we had remaining authority to purchase 1,300,000 shares under this authorization.

Purchases of shares of our common stock throughout 2016 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'.

Fastenal Company Common Stock Comparative Performance Graph

Set forth below is a graph comparing, for the five years ended December 31, 2016, the yearly cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock with the yearly cumulative total shareholder return of the S&P 500 Index and the Dow Jones US Industrial Suppliers Index.

The comparison of total shareholder returns in the performance graph assumes that $100 was invested on December 31, 2011 in Fastenal Company, 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 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.