MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $89.6667.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Philip Peller acquired 6,666 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $90.14 per share, with a total value of $600,873.24. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $859,665.18. The trade was a 232.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 22,870 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $84.96 per share, for a total transaction of $1,943,035.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 2,328,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $197,803,192.32. The trade was a 0.99% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 19.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MSM. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.4% in the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 34,884 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,169,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.3% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,180 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,214,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,787 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $94.88 on Friday. 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 has a 52 week low of $68.10 and a 52 week high of $95.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $85.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.92 and a beta of 0.84.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $962.52 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

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

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.