MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM – Get Rating) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $94.67.

MSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $80.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $82.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 1.9 %

NYSE:MSM opened at $90.63 on Thursday. MSC Industrial Direct has a 12 month low of $71.32 and a 12 month high of $94.07. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 1.03.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.10. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 9.34% and a return on equity of 26.66%. The business had revenue of $961.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $934.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 11th were issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 10th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 48.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 6,442 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.99, for a total value of $586,157.58. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $975,048.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 28.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MSM. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 465.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 19,687 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,678,000 after purchasing an additional 16,205 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 13,636 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,162,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 115.7% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,514 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 812 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 24,042 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,049,000 after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 34.2% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,594,000 after purchasing an additional 7,749 shares during the last quarter. 73.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

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MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc engages in the distribution of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations products and services. Its products include cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, metalworking, fasteners, flat stock, raw materials, abrasives, machinery hand and power tools, safety and janitorial supplies, plumbing supplies, materials handling products, power transmission components, and electrical supplies.