Philip Peller Sells 900 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Stock

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $80,163.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $360,199.08. The trade was a 18.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MSM traded down $2.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $85.45. 467,544 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 581,473. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.88 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 0.90. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.05 and a 52 week high of $104.76. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $82.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $83.58.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $952.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $959.74 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 6.77%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. Analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.65 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is an increase from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is presently 72.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 1,142.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 35,300.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 353 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Six 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, MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.20.

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.