MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM – Get Rating) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

Separately, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $92.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Friday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $93.00.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE MSM opened at $78.24 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $83.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.35. MSC Industrial Direct has a fifty-two week low of $71.32 and a fifty-two week high of $90.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 2.14. The company has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.02.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 5th. The industrial products company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $957.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $948.17 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 26.97% and a net margin of 9.34%. Sell-side analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Douglas E. Jones sold 23,918 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.92, for a total transaction of $2,150,706.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $523,604.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other MSC Industrial Direct news, EVP Douglas E. Jones sold 885 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.00, for a total transaction of $77,880.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $434,544. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Douglas E. Jones sold 23,918 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.92, for a total transaction of $2,150,706.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $523,604.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 28.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 73.3% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 350 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 1,379.3% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 429 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 271.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 687 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 73.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc engages in the distribution of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations products and services. Its products include cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, metalworking, fasteners, flat stock, raw materials, abrasives, machinery hand and power tools, safety and janitorial supplies, plumbing supplies, materials handling products, power transmission components, and electrical supplies.