Raiffeisen Bank International AG Buys 3,864 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Key Points

• Raiffeisen Bank International AG increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 37.3%, acquiring an additional 3,864 shares, bringing its total to 14,214 shares valued at approximately $1.1 million.
• MSC Industrial Direct reported a net margin of 5.30% and a yearly revenue decline of 0.8%, with EPS of $1.08 for the most recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.05.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, with a resulting annualized yield of 4.0% and a payout ratio of 96.05%.

Raiffeisen Bank International AG boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 37.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,214 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 3,864 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG's holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $1,104,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFG Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,119,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 1st quarter worth approximately $10,485,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 27,185 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,352 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 494.4% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 6,734 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $523,000 after purchasing an additional 5,601 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 125.0% in the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 86,194 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,695,000 after acquiring an additional 47,883 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 2,130 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total transaction of $195,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,657 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,348,444. This represents a 12.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 18.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock traded up $0.02 on Friday, reaching $86.02. The stock had a trading volume of 342,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 547,387. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business's 50 day moving average is $85.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.04. The company has a market cap of $4.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.30 and a beta of 0.92. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $68.10 and a 1 year high of $92.68.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.05. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 14.99%. The company had revenue of $971.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $969.72 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. MSC Industrial Direct's revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.05%.

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

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.