WealthPLAN Partners LLC Sells 3,773 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

WealthPLAN Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 57,745 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,773 shares during the quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC owned 0.10% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $4,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MSM. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter worth approximately $12,170,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,567,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $134,859,000 after purchasing an additional 113,878 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 618,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,166,000 after purchasing an additional 105,265 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 11.1% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 918,235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $79,023,000 after purchasing an additional 91,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 367.3% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 71,794 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,179,000 after purchasing an additional 56,430 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $81.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $80.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $81.91. 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) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MSM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. Wolfe Research started coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stephens cut MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.