MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM Shares Acquired by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 124.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 195,176 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 108,116 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $17,984,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.3% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.6% during the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 12,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 52.2% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 8.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,744 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 5.5% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE MSM opened at $95.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.10 and a 1-year high of $96.51. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $85.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.52. The company has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13 and a beta of 0.84.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 15.73% and a net margin of 5.37%.The company had revenue of $965.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $962.52 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.86 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 14th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on MSM shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. iA Financial set a $95.00 price objective on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 22,870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $84.96 per share, for a total transaction of $1,943,035.20. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 2,328,192 shares in the company, valued at $197,803,192.32. This trade represents a 0.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Philip Peller bought 6,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $90.14 per share, with a total value of $600,873.24. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 9,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $859,665.18. The trade was a 232.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 19.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.