16,626 Shares in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Purchased by Qsemble Capital Management LP

Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 16,626 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,431,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% during the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 2.4% during the third quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 6,925 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $596,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 6.5% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,833 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,609 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of MSM stock traded down $1.33 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $85.69. The stock had a trading volume of 724,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 581,202. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $83.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.79 billion, a PE ratio of 18.70 and a beta of 0.87. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.05 and a 52-week high of $104.76.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $952.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $959.74 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. Equities analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This is a positive change from MSC Industrial Direct's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.97%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.20.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $80,163.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at $360,199.08. This trade represents a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total value of $4,518,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,402,849 shares in the company, valued at $126,761,435.64. This trade represents a 3.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.