LGT Group Foundation Increases Stake in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

LGT Group Foundation boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 101,563 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,164 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation owned about 0.18% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $7,586,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 412.0% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 77.0% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 531 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MSM. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Stephens lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company. in a report 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 MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.80.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Up 3.1 %

MSM traded up $2.40 during trading on Thursday, reaching $80.18. The stock had a trading volume of 473,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 590,659. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $72.79 and a one year high of $100.69. The company has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.14 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock's 50 day moving average is $80.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.75.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.13. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The company had revenue of $928.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $904.90 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. MSC Industrial Direct's revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.24%. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

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.