3,229 Shares in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM Purchased by Vident Advisory LLC

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC has acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct, purchasing 3,229 shares valued at approximately $251,000 during the 1st quarter.
• In the recent quarter, MSC Industrial reported an EPS of $1.08, exceeding expectations and generating revenue of $971.15 million, marking a 0.8% decline year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, resulting in an annualized payout of $3.40 and a dividend yield of 3.7%.

Vident Advisory LLC bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,229 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $251,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,650,221 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $283,513,000 after acquiring an additional 231,961 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,781,503 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $138,369,000 after acquiring an additional 88,247 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,762,248 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $136,867,000 after acquiring an additional 327,833 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,240,418 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $96,343,000 after acquiring an additional 33,607 shares during the period. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,089,926 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $84,655,000 after acquiring an additional 126,765 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $73.00 to $89.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $89.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Zacks Research lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. 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 report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $90.33.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 2,130 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total transaction of $195,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,348,444. The trade was a 12.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE:MSM traded up $0.47 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $91.82. The stock had a trading volume of 388,042 shares, compared to its average volume of 440,086. The stock has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.94 and a beta of 0.95. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $68.10 and a 12-month high of $94.31. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio 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.