MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Sold by New South Capital Management Inc.

New South Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 695,573 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 19,508 shares during the period. MSC Industrial Direct makes up 2.2% of New South Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. New South Capital Management Inc. owned about 1.25% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $51,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MSM. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter worth $12,170,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 126,218 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 618,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $46,166,000 after purchasing an additional 105,265 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 918,235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $79,023,000 after purchasing an additional 91,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 793,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $59,243,000 after purchasing an additional 70,076 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE MSM opened at $77.80 on Thursday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $72.79 and a 12 month high of $100.69. 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 $4.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.57 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $80.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.75.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.13. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The firm had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $904.90 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.37%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MSM shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Stephens lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.80.

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.