Boston Partners Boosts Stock Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Boston Partners grew its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,434,415 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 96,335 shares during the period. Boston Partners’ holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $107,168,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 16,828 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake 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 valued at $2,195,000 after acquiring an additional 6,864 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew 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 valued at $1,989,000 after acquiring an additional 6,172 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 398.1% in the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 15,860 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,365,000 after acquiring an additional 12,676 shares during the period. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 8.9% in the 4th 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. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of MSM opened at $77.97 on Wednesday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.79 and a 52-week high of $100.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $80.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.49. The stock has a market cap of $4.36 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61 and a beta of 0.90.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.13. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The company had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.90 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.