MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $123.4286.

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson boosted their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $130.00 price target on MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 89.9% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 101.0% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 42.4% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 514 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 71.7% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 503 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Up 0.4%

MSM opened at $121.44 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $118.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.55. MSC Industrial Direct has a twelve month low of $78.80 and a twelve month high of $128.79. The firm has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.33 and a beta of 0.83.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 17.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct will post 4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 8th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 84.06%.

MSC Industrial Direct Company 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.