MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Purchased by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 36.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 25,490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,864 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $2,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8,289.7% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,031 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,466,000 after acquiring an additional 16,828 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 36.4% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 23,114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,989,000 after purchasing an additional 6,172 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 398.1% in 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 during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 85.1% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,733,228 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $216,772,000 after buying an additional 1,256,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 892.9% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 695 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 625 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $76.71 on Thursday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.05 and a 52 week high of $104.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $82.92 and a 200-day moving average of $82.09.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $952.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $959.74 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The company’s revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.43%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MSM shares. Stephens cut 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total transaction of $4,518,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,402,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $126,761,435.64. This represents a 3.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $80,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at $360,199.08. This represents a 18.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.