MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $107.00.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Monday, April 1st. KeyCorp reduced their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of MSM opened at $91.64 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $95.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.21. The stock has a market cap of $5.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45 and a beta of 0.96. MSC Industrial Direct has a 12 month low of $88.98 and a 12 month high of $105.77.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $946.55 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct will post 5.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MSM. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth approximately $77,000. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.