National Bank of Canada FI Sells 167 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

National Bank of Canada FI trimmed its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,950 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 167 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $194,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bison Wealth LLC grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 3.9% during the third quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,141 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,495 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,325,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 50,106 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,074,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MSM shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Monday, April 1st. StockNews.com raised MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.00.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE:MSM opened at $91.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $89.24 and a 12-month high of $105.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $94.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.11.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 22.58% and a net margin of 7.89%. The business had revenue of $935.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $946.55 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. MSC Industrial Direct’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 5.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 8th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 59.61%.

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.