New South Capital Management Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

New South Capital Management Inc. reduced its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 695,573 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 19,508 shares during the quarter. MSC Industrial Direct accounts for about 2.2% of New South Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. New South Capital Management Inc. owned 1.25% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $51,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 412.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 476 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of 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 downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.80.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 2.7 %

MSM traded up $2.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $82.33. 632,953 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 593,280. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.65 and a beta of 0.90. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.79 and a 12-month high of $100.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $80.41 and a 200 day moving average of $81.72.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $904.90 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. MSC Industrial Direct's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate 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, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.13%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.