Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Acquires New Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 13,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,008,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSM. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 36.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,490 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,195,000 after buying an additional 6,864 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 50.5% during the 4th quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 16,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,264,000 after buying an additional 5,674 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth about $2,654,000. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 55,458 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,142,000 after buying an additional 2,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 476 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of MSM traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $81.88. 33,595 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 639,197. The company has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.57 and a beta of 0.90. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.10 and a 52 week high of $92.77. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.91. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $908.30 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.15%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is 89.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson purchased 27,642 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the purchase, 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 available through the SEC website. Insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

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.