Paradice Investment Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Paradice Investment Management LLC reduced its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 24.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 215,644 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 68,265 shares during the period. MSC Industrial Direct comprises approximately 3.2% of Paradice Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Paradice Investment Management LLC owned 0.39% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $16,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSM. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 36.9% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 1,572 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 2,543.5% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,855 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $213,000 after buying an additional 2,747 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 26,035 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,945,000 after buying an additional 2,136 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 412.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 155,601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,622,000 after buying an additional 1,418 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE:MSM opened at $81.42 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.43 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $80.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.79. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.79 and a twelve month high of $104.76.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.13. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The firm had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $904.90 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.18%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MSM shares. Stephens cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.80.

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.