Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Boosts Stake in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Key Points

• Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. has increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 34.1%, purchasing an additional 10,397 shares, bringing its total holdings to 40,899 shares valued at approximately $3.18 million.
• Several institutional investors, including GAMMA Investing LLC and Farther Finance Advisors LLC, have also significantly increased their stakes in MSC Industrial Direct during the first quarter, reflecting strong institutional interest.
• MSC Industrial Direct recently reported quarterly earnings of $1.08 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, amidst a revenue decline of 0.8% year-over-year.

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 34.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,899 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,397 shares during the quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. owned approximately 0.07% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $3,177,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PEAK6 LLC lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 143.2% during the 1st quarter. PEAK6 LLC now owns 11,016 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $856,000 after buying an additional 36,502 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,089,926 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $84,655,000 after purchasing an additional 126,765 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 61,961 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,813,000 after acquiring an additional 860 shares during the last quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,096,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 78.8% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,444 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 2,400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

MSC Industrial Direct stock traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $88.76. The stock had a trading volume of 57,492 shares, compared to its average volume of 586,695. The firm's 50 day moving average is $87.95 and its 200 day moving average is $81.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.03 and a beta of 0.95. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a one year low of $68.10 and a one year high of $92.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $971.15 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $969.72 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 14.99%. The company's revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is presently 96.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $73.00 to $89.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $89.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.33.

Insider Transactions at MSC Industrial Direct

In other news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 2,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total value of $195,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,657 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,348,444. This trade represents a 12.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 18.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Company 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.