MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Sold by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc decreased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 61.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,841 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 15,764 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 412.0% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 77.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 531 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions 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 purchased at an average price of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,951,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $136,171,853.25. This trade represents a 1.44% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock traded down $0.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $78.75. 42,005 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 638,684. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78 and a beta of 0.90. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.10 and a twelve month high of $91.51.

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. The business had revenue of $891.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $908.30 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. The business's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is currently 89.71%.

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.