Gotham Asset Management LLC Purchases 42,268 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 20.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 251,710 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 42,268 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned about 0.45% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $18,800,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,418,260 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $255,310,000 after purchasing an additional 193,860 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,987,455 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $148,443,000 after buying an additional 448,708 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,469,000 after buying an additional 126,218 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,434,415 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $107,168,000 after purchasing an additional 96,335 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 127.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,206,811 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $90,137,000 after purchasing an additional 676,238 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 0.3%

MSM traded up $0.25 on Tuesday, hitting $79.08. 13,586 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 637,000. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.93. MSC Industrial Direct Co., 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 $76.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90 and a beta of 0.90.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $908.30 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MSM shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday, April 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $82.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 27,642 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $136,171,853.25. This trade represents a 1.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 18.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct 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.