MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM Shares Sold by Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. trimmed its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 9.5%, selling 51,722 shares and leaving it with 493,701 shares worth about $41.52 million (≈0.88% ownership).
• MSC reported quarterly EPS of $0.82 and revenue of $917.8M, both slightly below expectations ($0.84 EPS; $931.7M revenue), although revenue rose 2.9% year‑over‑year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 (annualized $3.48, ~3.6% yield) and the stock carries a consensus Hold rating with a $90.50 average price target.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lowered its position in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 493,701 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 51,722 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned approximately 0.88% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $41,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 34,884 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,169,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,180 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,214,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 12,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,170,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 71.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 503 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen cut MSC Industrial Direct from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.50.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $95.44 on Monday. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $74.08 and a fifty-two week high of $96.99. The firm has a market cap of $5.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.66 and a beta of 0.79. The business's fifty day moving average is $91.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 16.06% and a net margin of 5.42%.The business had revenue of $917.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.72 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 8th. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is currently 93.55%.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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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