MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Acquired by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 278,690 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 26,414 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.50% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $20,815,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MSM. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 412.0% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 54.0% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 476 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 77.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 531 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 38.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 962 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company's stock.

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MSC Industrial Direct Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock traded up $2.00 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $77.72. 1,123,029 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 629,815. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.10 and a twelve month high of $94.31. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 18.55 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.83.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $908.30 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The business's revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid 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 (DPR) is 89.71%.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 27,642 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $69.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $136,171,853.25. This trade represents a 1.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 18.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MSM shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 6th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $82.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Company 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.