Empowered Funds LLC Has $2.50 Million Stock Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. $MSM

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 211.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,052 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,284 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $2,504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 89.9% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 101.0% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 71.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 503 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 42.4% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 514 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson upped their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn started 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. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.43.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of MSM stock opened at $116.49 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $122.09 and its 200-day moving average is $108.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.14 and a beta of 0.83. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $78.80 and a 52 week high of $130.46.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. will post 4.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 8th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.06%.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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.