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

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc trimmed its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 61.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,841 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 15,764 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $735,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 20,179 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,507,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,325 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 54,138 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,044,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 38,611 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,884,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 54.0% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 476 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of MSM stock traded down $0.73 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $81.18. The stock had a trading volume of 372,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 640,473. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $68.10 and a one year high of $92.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $76.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37 and a beta of 0.90.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.19%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.71%.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 27,642 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $69.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,928,582.34. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at $136,171,853.25. This represents a 1.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 18.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Loop Capital lowered their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $82.20.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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.