Trust Co. of Vermont Invests $1.04 Million in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Key Points

• Trust Co. of Vermont purchased 8,733 shares of MSC Industrial Direct worth approximately $1.04 million, while institutional investors collectively own 79.26% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with the stock receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $123.43; individual targets range as high as $155.
• MSC Industrial Direct beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $1.43 in EPS and $1.05 billion in revenue, while paying a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share for a 2.8% annualized yield.

Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 8,733 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,039,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LSV Asset Management grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 1,711.1% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 16,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,371,000 after acquiring an additional 15,400 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter valued at $1,258,000. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 420,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,385,000 after purchasing an additional 31,260 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 27.5% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 53,748 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,959,000 after purchasing an additional 11,580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings 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 worth $7,197,000 after purchasing an additional 61,734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on MSM shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. DA Davidson upped their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $130.00 price objective on MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.43.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:MSM opened at $122.48 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.58 and a beta of 0.83. The stock's 50-day moving average is $121.49 and its 200-day moving average is $105.94. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $78.80 and a 52-week high of $130.46. 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 posted 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. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.34% and a net margin of 5.91%.The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 84.06%.

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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