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

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $83.80.

A number of equities analysts have commented on MSM shares. 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. Wolfe Research started 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 target on the stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $80.68 on Tuesday. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.81. MSC Industrial Direct has a twelve month low of $72.79 and a twelve month high of $104.76. The firm has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.26 and a beta of 0.91.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MSM. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 412.0% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 54.0% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.