WealthPLAN Partners LLC Decreases Position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

WealthPLAN Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 57,745 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,773 shares during the quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $4,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the 2nd quarter worth $361,000. CWM LLC raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 363.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,999 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $344,000 after acquiring an additional 3,136 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 28.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 3,924 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 878 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 3,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 3,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

NYSE:MSM opened at $81.42 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.79 and a 52 week high of $104.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $80.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.91.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 81.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on MSM. Wolfe Research began coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Stephens downgraded 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.