Analysts Set MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) PT at $83.80

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the seven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $83.80.

MSM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stephens cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the fourth quarter worth $609,000. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 4,319 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 279,557 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $20,880,000 after acquiring an additional 48,411 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 312.5% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 236,111 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $17,635,000 after acquiring an additional 178,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the fourth quarter worth $433,000. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

MSM stock traded down $2.36 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $80.68. 1,210,220 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 678,689. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $80.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.81. 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 has a 52 week low of $72.79 and a 52 week high of $104.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26 and a beta of 0.91.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 business had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $904.90 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.21%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.15%.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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.