Aviva PLC Sells 8,346 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Aviva PLC decreased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM – Get Rating) by 41.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,955 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 8,346 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $17,886,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 465.4% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 19,687 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,678,000 after purchasing an additional 16,205 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 13,636 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,162,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 115.7% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,514 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 812 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 24,042 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,049,000 after acquiring an additional 2,974 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 34.2% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,594,000 after acquiring an additional 7,749 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.89% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 6,442 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.99, for a total value of $586,157.58. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $975,048.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 28.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MSM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $80.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $82.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.67.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSM opened at $91.19 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $87.75 and its 200 day moving average is $84.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 2.04. The company has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.03 and a beta of 1.03. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $71.32 and a fifty-two week high of $94.07.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $961.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $934.76 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 9.34% and a return on equity of 26.66%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.29 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 11th were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 10th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.62%.

MSC Industrial Direct Profile

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MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc engages in the distribution of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations products and services. Its products include cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, metalworking, fasteners, flat stock, raw materials, abrasives, machinery hand and power tools, safety and janitorial supplies, plumbing supplies, materials handling products, power transmission components, and electrical supplies.