Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE Sells 31,944 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Key Points

• Lawson Kroeker cut its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 42.0% in Q4, selling 31,944 shares and now holding 44,103 shares worth about $3.71 million (≈0.08% of the company; ~1.1% of the fund's portfolio).
• MSC missed quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.82 versus a $0.84 consensus and revenue of $917.77M versus $931.69M, though revenue was up 2.9% year‑over‑year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 (annualized $3.48) with a yield of ~3.9% and a high payout ratio (~95%); institutional ownership is ~79% and analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with an average target of $90.50.

Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE decreased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 42.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,103 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 31,944 shares during the quarter. MSC Industrial Direct comprises about 1.1% of Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE owned about 0.08% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $3,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the second quarter valued at $39,950,000. SG Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 867.0% in the 3rd quarter. SG Capital Management LLC now owns 360,988 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,261,000 after purchasing an additional 323,659 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 110.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 479,244 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $44,158,000 after purchasing an additional 251,759 shares during the last quarter. Concentric Capital Strategies LP grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 303.6% during the 3rd quarter. Concentric Capital Strategies LP now owns 204,974 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $18,886,000 after purchasing an additional 154,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 116.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 269,210 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $22,888,000 after purchasing an additional 144,666 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

NYSE MSM opened at $90.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.28 and a beta of 0.79. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.10 and a 1-year high of $96.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business's fifty day moving average price is $90.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.33.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.02). MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 16.06% and a net margin of 5.42%.The firm had revenue of $917.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.72 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is presently 95.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on MSM. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, iA Financial set a $95.00 target price on MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct presently 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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