MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM Shares Sold by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lowered its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 2.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,736,142 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 45,361 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $147,607,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 79.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 750 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the period. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the second quarter worth approximately $73,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 47.1% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 22,870 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $84.96 per share, with a total value of $1,943,035.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,328,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $197,803,192.32. This trade represents a 0.99% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Philip Peller bought 6,666 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $90.14 per share, with a total value of $600,873.24. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 9,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $859,665.18. This trade represents a 232.18% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 211,342 shares of company stock worth $17,951,965. Company insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $89.44 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $88.00 and a 200-day moving average of $86.71. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.10 and a 52-week high of $94.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.12 and a beta of 0.98.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.06. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The firm had revenue of $978.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $964.03 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. This is an increase from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 12th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 97.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on MSM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Wolfe Research cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Zacks Research upgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.50.

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.