MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Purchased by Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY grew its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 28.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 269,118 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 60,256 shares during the quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY owned approximately 0.48% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $27,251,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 34.8% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,480,861 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $467,024,000 after acquiring an additional 1,414,485 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the fourth quarter worth $38,273,000. Balyasny Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter valued at $14,719,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,817,016 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $472,790,000 after purchasing an additional 197,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 188.6% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 239,453 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $17,985,000 after buying an additional 156,483 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson sold 51,040 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.31, for a total value of $4,966,702.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,907,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $185,596,541.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson sold 51,040 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.31, for a total value of $4,966,702.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,907,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $185,596,541.01. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 15,000 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,442,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,417,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at $136,248,203.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 254,503 shares of company stock valued at $24,841,663. Corporate insiders own 18.80% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock traded up $0.21 on Tuesday, hitting $94.63. 309,613 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 486,991. The company has a fifty day moving average of $98.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.32. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $83.80 and a one year high of $105.77. The company has a market capitalization of $5.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.95 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $935.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $946.55 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 22.58% and a net margin of 7.89%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp decreased their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Monday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $107.00.

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.