FORA Capital LLC Sells 5,201 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

FORA Capital LLC decreased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 43.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,725 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,201 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $579,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 6,925 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $596,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $85.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61 and a beta of 0.87. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a one year low of $75.05 and a one year high of $104.76. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $83.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.04.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $952.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $959.74 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.65 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.99%. This is a positive change from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 74.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total transaction of $4,518,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,402,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $126,761,435.64. The trade was a 3.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $80,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $360,199.08. This represents a 18.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on MSM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $90.20.

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.