Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 35,826 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Pacer Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 882,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 35,826 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $65,907,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% in the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Matrix Trust Co raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 121.1% during the 3rd quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 462 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research began coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Stephens downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total transaction of $4,518,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,402,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $126,761,435.64. This represents a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $80,163.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at $360,199.08. This trade represents a 18.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Up 0.3 %

MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $83.13 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $81.21 and a 200-day moving average of $82.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.79 and a twelve month high of $104.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.64 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84 and a beta of 0.91.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $928.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.90 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. The company’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.15%.

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.