MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $107.00.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of MSM traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $92.68. 452,669 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 562,808. MSC Industrial Direct has a 1-year low of $85.58 and a 1-year high of $105.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $97.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.64 and a beta of 0.95.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $935.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $946.55 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 22.58%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 59.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,442,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,417,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $136,248,203.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,442,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,417,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $136,248,203.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mitchell Jacobson sold 24,501 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.31, for a total value of $2,433,194.31. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,683,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $167,219,171.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 254,503 shares of company stock worth $24,841,663 in the last three months. 18.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MSM. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the first quarter valued at about $1,413,000. FCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. FCF Advisors LLC now owns 7,975 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $774,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 10,471 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,016,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 20,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,944,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 3.3% during the first quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,978 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.