Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $71.94 Million Stake in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 963,161 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 29,733 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 1.72% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $71,938,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSM. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $255,310,000 after buying an additional 193,860 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 29.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 448,708 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased 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 valued at $126,469,000 after purchasing an additional 126,218 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised 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 purchasing an additional 96,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 127.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,206,811 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $90,137,000 after purchasing an additional 676,238 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson purchased 27,642 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at $136,171,853.25. This trade represents a 1.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 18.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

NYSE:MSM traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $77.45. 308,064 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 635,198. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $77.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.40. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.10 and a 52-week high of $94.31. The company has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48 and a beta of 0.89. 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 (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $908.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.39%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is presently 89.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MSM shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Loop Capital cut their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.