MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM Shares Purchased by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management sharply increased its MSC Industrial Direct stake by 970.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 38,758 shares valued at about $3.26 million.
• MSC Industrial Direct reported mixed quarterly results, with earnings of $0.82 per share and revenue of $917.77 million, both slightly below analyst expectations, though revenue still rose 2.9% year over year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, equal to a 3.3% annual yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $94.29.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 970.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,758 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 35,138 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 0.07% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $3,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 257.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 361 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 71.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 503 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 130.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 576 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 628 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 79.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 750 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE:MSM opened at $106.71 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $97.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.26. The stock has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.68 and a beta of 0.83. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.78 and a 1-year high of $108.77.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $917.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.69 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 16.06%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 93.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on MSM shares. iA Financial set a $95.00 price target on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $117.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $94.29.

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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