MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Receives $82.20 Average PT from Brokerages

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $82.20.

A number of research firms recently commented on MSM. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, April 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $77.72 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $78.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.83. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a PE ratio of 18.55 and a beta of 0.89. MSC Industrial Direct has a 12-month low of $68.10 and a 12-month 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.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $908.30 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 89.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 27,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,951,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $136,171,853.25. The trade was a 1.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

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

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.