MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Sold by Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC trimmed its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,284 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC owned approximately 0.07% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $3,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 182.0% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 863 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 2nd quarter worth $3,101,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 1,142.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 2nd quarter worth $2,895,000. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 2nd quarter worth $57,000. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stephens cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird upped 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 report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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 report on Friday, October 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.20.

Insider Transactions at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total transaction of $4,518,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,402,849 shares in the company, valued at $126,761,435.64. This represents a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $80,163.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,199.08. This trade represents a 18.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 18.80% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of MSM stock opened at $84.27 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.96. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $75.05 and a one year high of $104.76. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.89.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is a boost from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.03%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.24%.

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.