MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM Shares Purchased by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 213.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 619,600 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 422,100 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $52,108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 464.9% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 185,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $15,572,000 after purchasing an additional 152,380 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 6,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 515.8% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,729 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,659,000 after acquiring an additional 16,525 shares during the last quarter. Fieldview Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at $302,000. Finally, Congruence Capital LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at $10,045,000. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $114.15 on Tuesday. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $78.80 and a 52-week high of $119.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $104.48 and a 200-day moving average of $94.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.37 billion, a PE ratio of 30.68 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.02). MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 16.06%. The company had revenue of $917.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $931.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.72 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 93.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Monday, April 27th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $94.71.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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.