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

Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 25,220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 989 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $1,884,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 36.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,195,000 after buying an additional 6,864 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 398.1% during the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 15,860 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,365,000 after acquiring an additional 12,676 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 26,035 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,945,000 after acquiring an additional 2,136 shares in the last quarter. Atom Investors LP bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter worth about $1,751,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 16.1% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 231,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $19,892,000 after purchasing an additional 32,013 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $77.77 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $80.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56 and a beta of 0.90. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.79 and a 52 week high of $96.75.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released 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 business had revenue of $928.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $904.90 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Stephens downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.80.

MSC Industrial Direct Company 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.