MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Purchased by Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,611 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC owned approximately 0.07% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $2,884,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MSM. Altrius Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $4,044,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 54.0% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,761 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,362 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 77.0% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 531 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE:MSM opened at $77.66 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.53 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.93. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.79 and a fifty-two week high of $96.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $80.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.49.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 81.15%.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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.