Ridgewood Investments LLC Boosts Stock Position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 102.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 15,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,625 shares during the quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $1,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the third quarter worth $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% during 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. Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 35,300.0% during 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. 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 in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 3.3 %

NYSE:MSM traded down $2.75 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $79.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 323,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,093,622. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.44 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $82.09 and a 200-day moving average of $81.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.79 and a 52-week high of $104.76.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 6.77%. The firm had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $904.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.26%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 74.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSM has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective 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. 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 research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.20.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $360,199.08. The trade was a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of MSC Industrial Direct 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,402,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $126,761,435.64. The trade was a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.30% of the stock is owned by 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.