Arjuna Capital Has $4.55 Million Stock Position in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Arjuna Capital increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 54,105 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,717 shares during the period. MSC Industrial Direct makes up approximately 1.1% of Arjuna Capital’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Arjuna Capital’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $4,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 124.2% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 195,176 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $17,984,000 after purchasing an additional 108,116 shares during the last quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter valued at $1,190,000. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,096,000. Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 37,870 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,185,000 after purchasing an additional 12,383 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 288,489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,581,000 after purchasing an additional 38,088 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of MSM opened at $104.66 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.78 and a 12 month high of $108.77. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $95.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.13 and a beta of 0.83.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $917.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $931.69 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 16.06%. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.72 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 8th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is presently 93.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. iA Financial set a $95.00 target price on MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Monday, April 27th. KeyCorp upgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $117.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen cut MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $94.29.

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc (NYSE: MSM) is a leading distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products serving a broad range of industrial customers across North America. The company offers an extensive portfolio of cutting tools, abrasives, measuring and inspection instruments, fasteners, safety supplies and other essential components used in manufacturing, metalworking and production environments. MSC delivers products through a multi-channel distribution network, including an extensive branch system, e-commerce platform and dedicated sales force.

In addition to its core product offerings, MSC Industrial Direct provides value-added services designed to improve productivity and reduce downtime for its customers.