US Bancorp DE Sells 1,049 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

US Bancorp DE reduced its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 37.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,784 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,049 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $133,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 54,138 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,044,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 54.0% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 4.9% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,761 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,362 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSM opened at $77.16 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $80.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $72.79 and a 12 month high of $100.35.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Stephens downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.80.

MSC Industrial Direct Company 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.