MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $91.60.

MSM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MSM. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1,142.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the second quarter worth about $26,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the third quarter worth about $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 35,300.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $80.57 on Wednesday. MSC Industrial Direct has a twelve month low of $75.05 and a twelve month high of $104.76. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.65. The company has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 0.86. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.22%. This is a boost from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.02%.

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.