Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Has $1.72 Million Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,956 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,650 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $1,717,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at $1,566,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 146.3% in the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 93,297 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,431,000 after purchasing an additional 55,417 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 528,589 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,525,000 after purchasing an additional 4,286 shares during the period. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at $216,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 14,369 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,455,000 after purchasing an additional 4,017 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of MSM stock opened at $92.68 on Monday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $85.58 and a 12-month high of $105.77. The company has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.64 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $97.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.25. 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 (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $935.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $946.55 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 22.58%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. Research analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is presently 59.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In other news, Director Mitchell Jacobson sold 137,716 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.66, for a total transaction of $13,449,344.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,708,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $166,833,652.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,442,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,417,038 shares in the company, valued at $136,248,203.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mitchell Jacobson sold 137,716 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.66, for a total transaction of $13,449,344.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,708,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $166,833,652.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 254,503 shares of company stock worth $24,841,663. 18.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.00.

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.