Analysts Set MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Target Price at $83.80

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $83.80.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MSM shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Stephens cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $77.46 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.49 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. MSC Industrial Direct has a 1-year low of $72.79 and a 1-year high of $100.35.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $928.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $904.90 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MSM. Atria Investments Inc bought a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the 3rd quarter worth about $363,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 9.2% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 23,899 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,057,000 after purchasing an additional 2,013 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter valued at approximately $250,000. KBC Group NV lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 26.3% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 241,094 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,749,000 after buying an additional 28,350 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Company 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.