Vanguard Group Inc. Has $352.27 Million Stock Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.0%, now owning approximately 4.53 million shares, valued at $352.27 million.
• Multiple analysts have raised their price targets for MSC Industrial Direct, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $90.33.
• MSC Industrial Direct has recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 3.9% with a payout ratio of 96.05%.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,535,482 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 44,002 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 8.14% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $352,271,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 4.5% during the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,755 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.1% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,792 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 51.1% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 719 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 207.8% in the first quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV now owns 397 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:MSM traded down $1.1650 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $87.8950. 101,946 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 596,623. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $4.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.81 and a beta of 0.92. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a one year low of $68.10 and a one year high of $92.68. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $86.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.28.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $971.15 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $969.72 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 14.99% and a net margin of 5.30%.MSC Industrial Direct's quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $89.00 price objective on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Stephens upped their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $73.00 to $89.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 2,130 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,348,444. This trade represents a 12.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

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.