iSAM Funds UK Ltd Takes Position in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Key Points

• iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake of 14,789 shares in MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM), valued at about $1.36 million, as part of institutional ownership that stands around 79.26%.
• MSC Industrial beat expectations for the quarter with EPS of $0.99 versus $0.95 and revenue of $965.7 million (up 4% year-over-year), reporting a return on equity of 15.73% and a net margin of 5.37%.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.87 (annualized $3.48, yield ~3.8%) but has a high payout ratio (~95%), and analysts maintain a consensus Hold rating with an average target of $90.50 while the stock trades near $91.23.

iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 14,789 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,363,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 257.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 361 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 130.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 576 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 79.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 750 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the second quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE MSM opened at $91.23 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.10 and a 12 month high of $96.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $88.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market capitalization of $5.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.93 and a beta of 0.81.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $965.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $962.52 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 15.73% and a net margin of 5.37%.The company's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 14th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 price objective on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered MSC Industrial Direct from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. iA Financial set a $95.00 target price on MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $90.50.

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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