Oxford Asset Management LLP Acquires New Stake in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,607 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,418,260 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $255,310,000 after purchasing an additional 193,860 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,987,455 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $148,443,000 after acquiring an additional 448,708 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $126,469,000 after buying an additional 126,218 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,434,415 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $107,168,000 after purchasing an additional 96,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 127.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,206,811 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $90,137,000 after buying an additional 676,238 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson acquired 27,642 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the acquisition, 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 18.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE MSM traded up $1.86 on Friday, hitting $77.75. 371,602 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 637,722. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.10 and a 52 week high of $94.31. 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 company has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 18.56 and a beta of 0.89. The business's fifty day moving average is $77.16 and its 200 day moving average is $80.20.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $891.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $908.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on MSM. Wolfe Research raised MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of 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, Loop Capital decreased their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.