MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM Shares Acquired by Willis Investment Counsel

Key Points

• Willis Investment Counsel boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 48.6% in Q4 to 37,870 shares (about $3.19M), and institutional investors now own roughly 79.26% of the company.
• MSC reported Q1 EPS of $0.82, missing consensus by $0.02, with revenue of $917.8M versus $931.7M expected, though revenue was up 2.9% year‑over‑year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 (annualized $3.48) for a 3.6% yield, while the payout ratio remains high at 93.55%.

Willis Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 48.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,870 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,383 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel owned approximately 0.07% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $3,185,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter worth $31,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 71.7% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 503 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 130.4% in 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 during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 79.9% in 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of MSM opened at $95.55 on Thursday. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $68.11 and a 1 year high of $96.99. The company has a market cap of $5.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.69 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $91.48 and a 200-day moving average of $88.31.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $917.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.69 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be issued 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 3.6%. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 93.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. iA Financial set a $95.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.50.

MSC Industrial Direct 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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