Caprock Group LLC Purchases Shares of 18,755 MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 18,755 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,692,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MSM. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 124.2% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 195,176 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $17,984,000 after purchasing an additional 108,116 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the second quarter valued at about $1,352,000. Arjuna Capital acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,274,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,950,000. Finally, Convergence Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,190,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of MSM opened at $94.03 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.10 and a 52 week high of $96.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.69 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $86.86 and a 200-day moving average of $87.75.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 14th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 95.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. iA Financial set a $95.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 price target on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson acquired 22,870 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $84.96 per share, for a total transaction of $1,943,035.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 2,328,192 shares in the company, valued at $197,803,192.32. The trade was a 0.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 19.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct 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.