MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Acquired by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. raised its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 412.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 54.0% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 77.0% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 531 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 38.4% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MSM shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. 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 report on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.80.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of MSM opened at $79.84 on Thursday. 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 current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.05 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $80.24 and a 200-day moving average of $81.46.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $928.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $904.90 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.26%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

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.