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

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $82.20.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE MSM opened at $77.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.89. MSC Industrial Direct has a twelve month low of $68.10 and a twelve month high of $94.31.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $908.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.41%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 27,642 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $69.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 18.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MSC Industrial Direct

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 412.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 54.0% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 77.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 531 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.