MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM Stake Lessened by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,451,836 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 32,462 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $410,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,950,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 116.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 269,210 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,888,000 after acquiring an additional 144,666 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 2,876.1% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 129,105 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,977,000 after purchasing an additional 124,767 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 124.2% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 195,176 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $17,984,000 after purchasing an additional 108,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the second quarter worth approximately $8,004,000. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

MSM stock opened at $93.29 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $88.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $88.20. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.10 and a 12 month high of $96.99. The company has a market capitalization of $5.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.37% and a return on equity of 15.73%. The business had revenue of $965.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $962.52 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 14th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 95.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MSM. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. iA Financial set a $95.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research lowered MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.50.

MSC Industrial Direct Profile

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc (NYSE: MSM) is a leading distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products serving a broad range of industrial customers across North America. The company offers an extensive portfolio of cutting tools, abrasives, measuring and inspection instruments, fasteners, safety supplies and other essential components used in manufacturing, metalworking and production environments. MSC delivers products through a multi-channel distribution network, including an extensive branch system, e-commerce platform and dedicated sales force.

In addition to its core product offerings, MSC Industrial Direct provides value-added services designed to improve productivity and reduce downtime for its customers.