Nomura Holdings Inc. Buys New Position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 5,934 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 127.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,206,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $90,137,000 after buying an additional 676,238 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,576,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,735,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,987,455 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $148,443,000 after buying an additional 448,708 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 138.1% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 366,792 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,396,000 after buying an additional 212,730 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $78.96 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $77.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $4.40 billion, a PE ratio of 18.85 and a beta of 0.90. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $68.10 and a 1 year high of $91.51.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The firm had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $908.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.31%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is 89.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 27,642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $69.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at $136,171,853.25. The trade was a 1.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 18.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Profile

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products and services in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company's MRO products include cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, metalworking products, fasteners, flat stock products, raw materials, abrasives, machinery hand and power tools, safety and janitorial supplies, plumbing supplies, materials handling products, power transmission components, and electrical supplies.