MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Shares Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama cut its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 58,069 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,113 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $5,880,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSM. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth approximately $77,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $93,000. Finally, USA Financial Formulas lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 5,345.0% during the 3rd quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,089 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of MSM stock opened at $91.62 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $5.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.33. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $88.77 and a 12-month high of $105.77. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $935.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $946.55 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. MSC Industrial Direct’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 5.69 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th were paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 8th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 59.61%.

MSC Industrial Direct 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.