UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Raises Stock Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 16.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 231,146 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 32,013 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.41% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $19,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1,142.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the second quarter worth about $26,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter worth about $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 35,300.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 354 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

MSC Industrial Direct stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $83.12. 409,778 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 577,968. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $75.05 and a one year high of $104.76. The stock has a market cap of $4.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.09 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.78.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.05). MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The company had revenue of $952.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $959.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. This is a positive change from MSC Industrial Direct's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is presently 74.24%.

Insider Transactions at MSC Industrial Direct

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on MSM. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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, Stephens cut shares of 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $85.20.

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.