MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Sold by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp reduced its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 512,838 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 13,346 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.91% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $44,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MSM. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,733,228 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $216,772,000 after purchasing an additional 1,256,706 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 7.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 938,980 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $74,467,000 after buying an additional 61,022 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 12.5% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 765,578 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,718,000 after buying an additional 84,967 shares in the last quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.9% during the second quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 606,702 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $48,118,000 after acquiring an additional 11,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 288,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,849,000 after acquiring an additional 44,100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 1.1 %

MSM opened at $78.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a PE ratio of 15.28 and a beta of 0.86. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $75.05 and a one year high of $104.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 2.01. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $82.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $84.29.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $952.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $959.74 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 4.84 EPS for the current year.

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 given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.32%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $90.20.

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.