WCM Investment Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

WCM Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 69.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,375 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 14,385 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC's holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MSM. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $361,000. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 363.4% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,999 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $344,000 after purchasing an additional 3,136 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Willis Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 87,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 28.8% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 3,924 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 878 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:MSM traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $81.42. 480,956 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 691,365. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $80.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.91. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.79 and a twelve month high of $104.76. The company has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.43 and a beta of 0.91.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.13. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. The company had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $904.90 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on MSM. Wolfe Research began coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stephens cut 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $83.80.

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.