2,907 Shares in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Acquired by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,907 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $250,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MSM. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 6,925 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $596,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 2.8 %

NYSE:MSM opened at $83.07 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.05 and a 12-month high of $104.76. The firm has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.47.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $952.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $959.74 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.65 earnings per share 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 given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is an increase from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $80,163.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $360,199.08. This represents a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 1,402,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $126,761,435.64. This trade represents a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 18.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSM has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.20.

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.