MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Position Increased by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,009 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $1,885,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 36.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,195,000 after acquiring an additional 6,864 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter valued at $34,735,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 26,035 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,945,000 after acquiring an additional 2,136 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 155,601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,418 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter valued at $2,654,000. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson purchased 27,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $69.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at $136,171,853.25. This represents a 1.44 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 18.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

NYSE MSM opened at $77.10 on Tuesday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.10 and a 12 month high of $94.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.29.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $891.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $908.30 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.41%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, April 6th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.20.

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.