KBC Group NV Has $152,000 Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

KBC Group NV cut its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 95.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,958 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 42,745 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $152,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MSM. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.6% during 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. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.4% during 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. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,592 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.1% during 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 currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" 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. Stephens increased their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $73.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $90.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 2,129 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.60, for a total transaction of $192,887.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,657 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,327,924.20. This trade represents a 12.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSM traded up $0.96 during trading on Thursday, reaching $91.66. The company had a trading volume of 1,017,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 623,088. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.10 and a twelve month high of $92.65. 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 $5.11 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's fifty day moving average is $81.87 and its 200 day moving average is $79.75.

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. On average, equities 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 will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is 96.05%.

MSC Industrial Direct Profile

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.