MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Purchased by Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 603.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,655 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,141 shares during the quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd's holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MSM. Altrius Capital Management Inc grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 54,138 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,044,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 38,611 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,884,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,761 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,362 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

MSM stock traded up $0.43 on Friday, reaching $76.15. 505,390 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 627,043. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $78.46 and a 200-day moving average of $80.87. The firm has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.15 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. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.10 and a twelve month high of $94.31.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.46%. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 89.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MSM. Loop Capital dropped their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $82.20.

Insider Transactions at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson acquired 27,642 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $69.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,928,582.34. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,951,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $136,171,853.25. This represents a 1.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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.