Seizert Capital Partners LLC Purchases 11,585 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Seizert Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 3.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 361,783 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,585 shares during the period. Seizert Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.65% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $31,135,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 16.2% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 29,592 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,547,000 after buying an additional 4,123 shares during the period. Altrius Capital Management Inc bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the third quarter valued at $4,645,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 2.1% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 40,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,509,000 after buying an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 204.6% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,935 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $855,000 after acquiring an additional 6,673 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 13.3% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 241,094 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,749,000 after purchasing an additional 28,350 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of MSM stock opened at $83.07 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $83.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.47. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.05 and a 52 week high of $104.76. The stock has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.14 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.05). MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 6.77%. The business had revenue of $952.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $959.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.09%. This is a positive change from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is presently 74.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total value of $4,518,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,402,849 shares in the company, valued at $126,761,435.64. This trade represents a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $80,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,199.08. The trade was a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct 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.