Norwood Financial Corp Purchases 325 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Norwood Financial Corp increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 13.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,672 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the quarter. Norwood Financial Corp’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at about $77,000. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSM traded up $1.29 on Friday, reaching $79.30. 950,316 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 516,323. The company has a fifty day moving average of $87.21 and a 200-day moving average of $94.18. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.05 and a twelve month high of $105.77. The company has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.24 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced 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 net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 22.58%. The firm had revenue of $935.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $946.55 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.19%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is 59.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Baird R W cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $95.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 14th. KeyCorp cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. StockNews.com cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 8th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, June 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $93.00.

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.