New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Takes $2.30 Million Position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 30,781 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $2,299,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of MSC Industrial Direct at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter valued at $34,735,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 193,860 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 76.0% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 424,437 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,701,000 after purchasing an additional 183,343 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter worth about $12,170,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,469,000 after buying an additional 126,218 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

NYSE MSM traded down $6.08 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $73.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 215,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 615,266. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $72.72 and a 1 year high of $96.13. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $79.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.46. The company has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 0.89.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $891.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $908.30 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.64%. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 81.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MSM. Stephens downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $83.80.

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.