Atria Investments Inc Lowers Stock Position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Atria Investments Inc trimmed its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,010 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 210 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $299,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8,289.7% in the third 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. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 36.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 36.4% in the 3rd 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 during the period. XTX Topco Ltd raised its position 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 valued at $1,365,000 after buying an additional 12,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.9% during 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 buying an additional 2,136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

MSM stock opened at $77.50 on Tuesday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.79 and a 52 week high of $100.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.52. 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 (NYSE:MSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.13. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. The company had revenue of $928.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $904.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.39%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.