Level Four Advisory Services LLC Purchases 989 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 989 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $1,884,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.9% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 52,148 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,488,000 after acquiring an additional 3,840 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 43.4% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,371 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,581,000 after purchasing an additional 5,563 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,290,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 29.8% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 11,820 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,017,000 after buying an additional 2,717 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 3.4 %

MSM opened at $77.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.56 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $80.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.47. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.79 and a fifty-two week high of $96.75.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.90 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is 81.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.80.

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.