KBC Group NV Grows Stock Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 2,976.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,703 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 43,250 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.08% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $3,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8,289.7% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,466,000 after acquiring an additional 16,828 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 36.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,490 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,195,000 after purchasing an additional 6,864 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 36.4% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 23,114 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,989,000 after purchasing an additional 6,172 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 398.1% in the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 15,860 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,365,000 after buying an additional 12,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 892.9% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 695 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 625 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock traded up $1.24 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $80.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 552,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 794,820. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $80.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.10. The company has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22 and a beta of 0.91. 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 12-month low of $72.79 and a 12-month high of $104.76.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $904.90 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 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.22%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.15%.

Insider Activity

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total transaction of $4,518,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,402,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $126,761,435.64. The trade was a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $80,163.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at $360,199.08. This represents a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MSM shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stephens cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $83.80.

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.