MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

Key Points

• SG Americas cut its stake in MSC Industrial by 67.9% in Q4, selling 11,702 shares and leaving it with 5,522 shares valued at about $464,000.
• MSC missed quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $0.82 versus the $0.84 consensus and revenue of $917.77M versus $931.69M, with revenue up 2.9% year-over-year, a net margin of 5.42% and ROE of 16.06%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 (annualized $3.48) for a ~3.7% yield and a 93.6% payout ratio, while analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with a $90.50 price target below the recent ~$95 stock price.

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 67.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,522 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 11,702 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 124.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 195,176 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $17,984,000 after purchasing an additional 108,116 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,352,000. Arjuna Capital purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,274,000. Convergence Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,190,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 48,636 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,135,000 after purchasing an additional 24,318 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of MSM stock opened at $95.20 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.73. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $74.30 and a 1 year high of $96.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $92.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $88.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.31 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59 and a beta of 0.79.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 8th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is 93.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MSM. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 price target on 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 research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, iA Financial set a $95.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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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