MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) to Issue $0.87 Quarterly Dividend

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be paid a dividend of 0.87 per share by the industrial products company on Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 8th.

MSC Industrial Direct has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.2%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 3 consecutive years. MSC Industrial Direct has a payout ratio of 89.0% indicating that its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings tumble. Equities research analysts expect MSC Industrial Direct to earn $4.05 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.48 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 85.9%.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 1.1%

MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $86.93 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct has a one year low of $68.10 and a one year high of $96.99. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $89.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.75 and a beta of 0.81.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $965.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $962.52 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 15.73% and a net margin of 5.37%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on MSM. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, iA Financial set a $95.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, February 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.50.

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc (NYSE: MSM) is a leading distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products serving a broad range of industrial customers across North America. The company offers an extensive portfolio of cutting tools, abrasives, measuring and inspection instruments, fasteners, safety supplies and other essential components used in manufacturing, metalworking and production environments. MSC delivers products through a multi-channel distribution network, including an extensive branch system, e-commerce platform and dedicated sales force.

In addition to its core product offerings, MSC Industrial Direct provides value-added services designed to improve productivity and reduce downtime for its customers.