D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Purchases 53,783 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 207.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,741 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 53,783 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $5,956,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,418,260 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $255,310,000 after buying an additional 193,860 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,987,455 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $148,443,000 after acquiring an additional 448,708 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,469,000 after purchasing an additional 126,218 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,434,415 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $107,168,000 after buying an additional 96,335 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 127.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,206,811 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $90,137,000 after buying an additional 676,238 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSM traded down $0.73 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $81.18. 372,634 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 640,473. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $68.10 and a one year high of $92.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.96 and a 200 day moving average of $79.91. The company has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37 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 (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. The company had revenue of $891.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $908.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. MSC Industrial Direct's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.19%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is currently 89.71%.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson acquired 27,642 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $136,171,853.25. This represents a 1.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 18.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $82.20.

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.