New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Invests $2.30 Million in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 30,781 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,299,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter worth about $34,735,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,418,260 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $255,310,000 after buying an additional 193,860 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 76.0% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 424,437 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,701,000 after buying an additional 183,343 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,170,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $126,469,000 after acquiring an additional 126,218 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 3.4 %

Shares of MSM stock opened at $77.77 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. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.79 and a twelve month high of $96.75. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $80.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.47. The stock has a market cap of $4.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56 and a beta of 0.90.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.37%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wolfe Research began 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.