Arjuna Capital Invests $4.27 Million in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Arjuna Capital acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 46,388 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,274,000. MSC Industrial Direct comprises approximately 1.1% of Arjuna Capital’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Arjuna Capital owned 0.08% of MSC Industrial Direct at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the third quarter worth about $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 130.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 576 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 79.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 750 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $73,000. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSM has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $89.67.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Up 0.1%

MSM stock opened at $84.32 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $85.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $87.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.04 and a beta of 0.84. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.10 and a fifty-two week high of $94.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.73.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.37% and a return on equity of 15.73%. The company had revenue of $965.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $962.52 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 14th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.08%.

Insider Transactions at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Philip Peller acquired 6,666 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $90.14 per share, with a total value of $600,873.24. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,537 shares in the company, valued at $859,665.18. The trade was a 232.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mitchell Jacobson acquired 22,870 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $84.96 per share, for a total transaction of $1,943,035.20. Following the acquisition, the director owned 2,328,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $197,803,192.32. The trade was a 0.99% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 19.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc (NYSE: MSM) is a leading distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products serving a broad range of industrial customers across North America. The company offers an extensive portfolio of cutting tools, abrasives, measuring and inspection instruments, fasteners, safety supplies and other essential components used in manufacturing, metalworking and production environments. MSC delivers products through a multi-channel distribution network, including an extensive branch system, e-commerce platform and dedicated sales force.

In addition to its core product offerings, MSC Industrial Direct provides value-added services designed to improve productivity and reduce downtime for its customers.