Boston Trust Walden Corp Sells 40,266 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden Corp reduced its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.8%, selling 40,266 shares and retaining 552,212 shares worth about $46.44 million (roughly 0.99% of the company).
• MSC missed quarterly expectations, reporting $0.82 EPS vs. $0.84 expected and revenue of $917.77 million vs. $931.69 million consensus, though revenue rose 2.9% year‑over‑year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 ($3.48 annualized), implying a 3.6% yield and a high payout ratio (~93.6%); the ex‑dividend date is April 8.

Boston Trust Walden Corp lessened its position in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 552,212 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 40,266 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.99% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $46,441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boston Partners grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,764,875 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $162,605,000 after acquiring an additional 36,626 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,432 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $121,842,000 after purchasing an additional 15,765 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,246,655 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $114,867,000 after purchasing an additional 19,267 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,014,655 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $93,490,000 after purchasing an additional 11,912 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 511,336 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,822 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. iA Financial set a $95.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $90.50.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $97.25 on Wednesday. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $74.30 and a fifty-two week high of $98.17. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.61. The company has a market capitalization of $5.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.73.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.02). MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 16.06%. The business had revenue of $917.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.72 EPS. MSC Industrial Direct's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 8th. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is currently 93.55%.

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc NYSE: MSM is a leading distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products serving a broad range of industrial customers across North America. The company offers an extensive portfolio of cutting tools, abrasives, measuring and inspection instruments, fasteners, safety supplies and other essential components used in manufacturing, metalworking and production environments. MSC delivers products through a multi-channel distribution network, including an extensive branch system, e-commerce platform and dedicated sales force.

In addition to its core product offerings, MSC Industrial Direct provides value-added services designed to improve productivity and reduce downtime for its customers.

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