Brokerages Set MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Price Target at $83.80

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $83.80.

Several research firms have weighed in on MSM. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set 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 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of MSM opened at $77.46 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct has a one year low of $72.79 and a one year high of $100.35. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 18.49 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $80.35 and a 200-day moving average of $81.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atria Investments Inc purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the third quarter valued at approximately $363,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 23,899 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,057,000 after purchasing an additional 2,013 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter valued at $250,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Finally, Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 241,094 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,749,000 after buying an additional 28,350 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

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.