Brokerages Set MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) PT at $82.20

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $82.20.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson purchased 27,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $69.77 per share, with a total value 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 represents a 1.44 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MSC Industrial Direct

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,418,260 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $255,310,000 after purchasing an additional 193,860 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,987,455 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $148,443,000 after acquiring an additional 448,708 shares during the last quarter. 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 worth $126,469,000 after acquiring an additional 126,218 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,434,415 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $107,168,000 after purchasing an additional 96,335 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 127.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,206,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $90,137,000 after purchasing an additional 676,238 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSM opened at $75.40 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 $4.20 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $77.04 and a 200-day moving average of $80.04. MSC Industrial Direct has a 12 month low of $68.10 and a 12 month high of $94.31.

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. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The business had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $908.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.51%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 89.71%.

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.