Barclays PLC Buys 6,864 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 36.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,490 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,864 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC's holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $2,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 35,300.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 354 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% in the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on MSM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 note on Friday, October 25th. Stephens downgraded 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 report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $85.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock traded down $0.45 on Thursday, hitting $76.26. The company had a trading volume of 540,337 shares, compared to its average volume of 579,240. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $82.76 and a 200-day moving average of $82.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.65 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 0.90. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.05 and a twelve month high of $104.76.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $952.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $959.74 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.64 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.46%. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is presently 74.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was 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 directly owns 1,402,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $126,761,435.64. This trade represents a 3.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,199.08. This represents a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

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.