MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Purchased by Alps Advisors Inc.

Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 237,234 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,461 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. owned about 0.43% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $18,426,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MSM. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 20,179 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,325 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 4.5% in the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,755 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 38,611 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,884,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.1% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,792 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSM traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $90.20. The stock had a trading volume of 777,275 shares, compared to its average volume of 623,931. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.10 and a 1-year high of $92.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.48 and a beta of 0.87. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $82.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.01.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.05. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 14.99%. The business had revenue of $971.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $969.72 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.77%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is presently 96.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MSM. Wolfe Research raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday, April 6th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $89.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $73.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.33.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 2,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total transaction of $195,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 14,657 shares in the company, valued at $1,348,444. This trade represents a 12.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 18.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.