MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $90.3333.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research cut MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Stephens upped their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Loop Capital upped their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 11.1% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,277 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Red Spruce Capital LLC increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.7% in the second quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 22,545 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,917,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.3% in the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 2,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $191,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.3% in the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 56,514 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,805,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 4.5% in the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,755 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $85.60 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.18 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $89.76 and a 200-day moving average of $84.18. MSC Industrial Direct has a 52 week low of $68.10 and a 52 week high of $94.31.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. This is an increase from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.05%.

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.