Ceera Investments LLC Grows Position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Ceera Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 109.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,385 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,860 shares during the quarter. Ceera Investments LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $586,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 30.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 528 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,978 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 2.0% during the first quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 10,471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,016,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.7% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE MSM traded up $0.69 on Friday, hitting $78.20. The stock had a trading volume of 642,227 shares, compared to its average volume of 548,341. The company’s 50-day moving average is $81.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.20. The stock has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.18 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $75.05 and a one year high of $105.77.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 2nd. The industrial products company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.33. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 7.44%. The firm had revenue of $979.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $979.10 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 4.84 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.25%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 64.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSM has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, June 14th. Baird R W lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. KeyCorp downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 4,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.60, for a total transaction of $413,271.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 12,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,091,086.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 18.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.