Trust Co. of Vermont Lowers Position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Trust Co. of Vermont trimmed its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 67.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,108 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 21,154 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont's holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 8,289.7% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,466,000 after purchasing an additional 16,828 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 36.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,490 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,195,000 after buying an additional 6,864 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 36.4% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 23,114 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,989,000 after acquiring an additional 6,172 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 398.1% during the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 15,860 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,365,000 after acquiring an additional 12,676 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 892.9% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 695 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Up 0.7 %

MSM traded up $0.55 on Friday, hitting $81.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,061,743 shares, compared to its average volume of 690,009. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.54 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.93. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $81.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.92. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.79 and a 12-month high of $104.76.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $904.90 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 4.15%. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 81.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,402,849 shares in the company, valued at $126,761,435.64. This trade represents a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,199.08. This represents a 18.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on MSM. Stephens downgraded 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. Wolfe Research began coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.80.

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.