Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $18.95 Million Stock Position in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Janus Henderson Group PLC lessened its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 47.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 205,340 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 187,588 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $18,946,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,112 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.4% during the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 34,884 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,169,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 50,418 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,240,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Up 1.1%

MSM stock opened at $124.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a PE ratio of 30.15 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $78.80 and a twelve month high of $128.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $119.31 and its 200-day moving average is $103.01.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.15. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.34% and a net margin of 5.91%.The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 4.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 84.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $130.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.43.

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.