Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Buys 9,141 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 603.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 10,655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,141 shares during the quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $796,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 36.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,195,000 after purchasing an additional 6,864 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 398.1% during the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 15,860 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,365,000 after buying an additional 12,676 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 26,035 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,945,000 after acquiring an additional 2,136 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 155,601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter worth about $2,654,000. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSM opened at $71.19 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 16.99 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $79.50 and a 200-day moving average of $81.35. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $70.13 and a 12 month high of $95.88.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $908.30 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The company’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.78%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital cut their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $82.20.

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.