Blue Trust Inc. Cuts Stake in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Blue Trust Inc. decreased its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 60.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 852 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,303 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $64,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,567,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $134,859,000 after purchasing an additional 113,878 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 918,235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $79,023,000 after buying an additional 91,369 shares during the period. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 5.8% during the third quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 641,779 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,232,000 after acquiring an additional 35,077 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 618,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,166,000 after acquiring an additional 105,265 shares during the period. Finally, Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 3.3% in the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 361,783 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,135,000 after acquiring an additional 11,585 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Stephens cut MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.80.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $79.18 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $80.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.81. The company has a market capitalization of $4.42 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90 and a beta of 0.91. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.79 and a 12-month high of $104.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $904.90 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

MSC Industrial Direct Profile

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products and services in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company's MRO products include cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, metalworking products, fasteners, flat stock products, raw materials, abrasives, machinery hand and power tools, safety and janitorial supplies, plumbing supplies, materials handling products, power transmission components, and electrical supplies.