Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 187,588 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Janus Henderson Group PLC cut its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 47.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 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 owned about 0.37% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $18,946,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Willis Investment Counsel grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 48.6% in the fourth quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 37,870 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,185,000 after purchasing an additional 12,383 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth $1,258,000. Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 420,750 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,385,000 after buying an additional 31,260 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 1,711.1% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 16,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,371,000 after buying an additional 15,400 shares during the period. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 259.0% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 85,573 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,197,000 after buying an additional 61,734 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:MSM opened at $124.82 on Tuesday. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $78.80 and a 1 year high of $128.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business’s 50-day moving average is $119.31 and its 200-day moving average is $103.01. The company has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.15 and a beta of 0.83.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 (DPR) is 84.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MSM shares. KeyCorp raised their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $130.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.43.

MSC Industrial Direct 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.