GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Raises Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 67.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 22,693 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 9,147 shares during the quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $1,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the first quarter valued at approximately $775,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 183.6% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 22,323 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,142,000 after acquiring an additional 14,451 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the first quarter valued at approximately $16,571,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 7.4% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 130,123 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,627,000 after acquiring an additional 8,971 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,253,000. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE:MSM traded up $0.88 during trading on Friday, reaching $78.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,166,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 570,063. The firm has a market cap of $4.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.28 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 2.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $82.00 and a 200-day moving average of $84.23. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.05 and a 12 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.05). MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The firm had revenue of $952.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $959.74 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 4.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from MSC Industrial Direct's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is currently 64.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital decreased their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $90.20.

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.