Quantinno Capital Management LP Reduces Stake in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Quantinno Capital Management LP cut its stake in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 17.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 461,835 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 97,233 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP owned about 0.83% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $42,614,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Willis Investment Counsel increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 37,870 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,185,000 after purchasing an additional 12,383 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth $1,258,000. Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 420,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,385,000 after buying an additional 31,260 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1,711.1% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 16,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,371,000 after buying an additional 15,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 259.0% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 85,573 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,197,000 after buying an additional 61,734 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $121.44 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $118.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.44. The stock has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.33 and a beta of 0.83. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $78.80 and a 52-week high of $128.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.55.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 17.34%. MSC Industrial Direct's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 4.47 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 8th. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 84.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research raised MSC Industrial Direct from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $130.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.43.

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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