Janus Henderson Group PLC Buys 6,336 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 438,393 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,336 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.78% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $32,743,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MSM. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 36.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,490 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,195,000 after purchasing an additional 6,864 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth about $34,735,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 26,035 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,945,000 after acquiring an additional 2,136 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 155,601 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $11,622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,654,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $81.88. The company had a trading volume of 33,595 shares, compared to its average volume of 639,197. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.10 and a 1-year high of $92.77. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $76.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.91. The stock has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.57 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.15%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is currently 89.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 27,642 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at $136,171,853.25. This trade represents a 1.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 18.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on 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. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 6th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $82.20.

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.