Boston Partners Has $136.87 Million Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Key Points

• Boston Partners increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 22.9%, owning over 1.76 million shares valued at approximately $136.9 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• MSC Industrial Direct reported a quarterly EPS of $1.08, exceeding analyst expectations by $0.05, despite a 0.8% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.8%, with a payout ratio of 96.05%.

Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 22.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,762,248 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 327,833 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned 3.16% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $136,867,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MSM. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 47.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 681 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 5,956 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 9,078 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $705,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 895.0% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the 1st quarter valued at about $897,000. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 0.1%

MSM traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $86.99. The stock had a trading volume of 326,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 599,863. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $86.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $81.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.57 and a beta of 0.92. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.10 and a 52 week high of $92.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.92.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $971.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $969.72 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 14.99% and a net margin of 5.30%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 96.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on MSM. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $89.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised MSC Industrial Direct from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $73.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Loop Capital increased their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $90.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 2,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total value of $195,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,657 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,348,444. This trade represents a 12.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 18.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About MSC Industrial Direct

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products and services in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company's MRO products include cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, metalworking products, fasteners, flat stock products, raw materials, abrasives, machinery hand and power tools, safety and janitorial supplies, plumbing supplies, materials handling products, power transmission components, and electrical supplies.