Franklin Resources Inc. Has $4.06 Million Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 29.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,369 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 12,466 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.10% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $4,061,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,418,260 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $255,310,000 after acquiring an additional 193,860 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $126,469,000 after purchasing an additional 126,218 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its position in 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. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 793,184 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $59,243,000 after purchasing an additional 70,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 618,103 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $46,166,000 after purchasing an additional 105,265 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 27,642 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 18.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

MSC Industrial Direct stock traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $77.10. 550,274 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 630,786. The firm has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.73. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.10 and a 12 month high of $94.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 89.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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