Twinbeech Capital LP Makes New Investment in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Twinbeech Capital LP bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,543 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,418,260 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $255,310,000 after purchasing an additional 193,860 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,987,455 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $148,443,000 after purchasing an additional 448,708 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $126,469,000 after purchasing an additional 126,218 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,434,415 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $107,168,000 after purchasing an additional 96,335 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 127.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,206,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,137,000 after purchasing an additional 676,238 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on MSM shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, April 6th. Loop Capital cut their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $82.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

MSM stock opened at $78.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78 and a beta of 0.90. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $68.10 and a 1 year high of $90.81. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $77.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.88.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $891.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $908.30 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.71%.

Insider Activity

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson purchased 27,642 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,951,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $136,171,853.25. This trade represents a 1.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

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.