Marshall Wace LLP Increases Stake in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 329.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 145,147 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 111,352 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.26% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $10,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 127.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,206,811 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $90,137,000 after purchasing an additional 676,238 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the fourth quarter worth about $34,735,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,418,260 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $255,310,000 after buying an additional 193,860 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 76.0% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 424,437 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,701,000 after buying an additional 183,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,469,000 after acquiring an additional 126,218 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In other news, Director Mitchell Jacobson acquired 27,642 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at $136,171,853.25. The trade was a 1.44 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th. Wolfe Research raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased 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 research report on Friday, April 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $82.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 0.5 %

MSM stock traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $77.62. 300,604 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 635,797. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $77.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.93. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $68.10 and a one year high of $94.31.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $891.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $908.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.38%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 89.71%.

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.