MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Purchased by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 16.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 231,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,013 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $19,892,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MSM. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% during the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 6,925 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.5% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.7% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $83.35 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.05 and a 1 year high of $104.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $83.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.77. The company has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20 and a beta of 0.89.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $952.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $959.74 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The firm’s revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is a boost from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.24%.

Insider Transactions at MSC Industrial Direct

In other news, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $80,163.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at $360,199.08. This trade represents a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total value of $4,518,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,402,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $126,761,435.64. The trade was a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MSM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stephens cut MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.20.

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.