Duality Advisers LP Takes Position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Duality Advisers LP bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 16,471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,668,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MSM. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 3.9% in the third quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $505,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.7% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,495 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,325,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 50,106 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,074,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSM opened at $92.55 on Tuesday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $88.14 and a 1-year high of $105.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.62 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.98.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $935.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $946.55 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 22.58%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 5.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.00.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson sold 137,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.66, for a total value of $13,449,344.56. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,708,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $166,833,652.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders sold 180,963 shares of company stock valued at $17,712,711. 18.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct 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.