Trust Co. of Vermont Sells 2,010 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Trust Co. of Vermont trimmed its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 5.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 32,896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,010 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont owned approximately 0.06% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $2,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 261.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth approximately $84,000. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MSM shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Baird R W downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 8th. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MSM traded down $0.79 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $80.65. 546,122 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 561,569. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.05 and a 52 week high of $105.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $82.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.66 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 2nd. The industrial products company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.33. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 7.44%. The company had revenue of $979.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $979.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 4.84 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 9th were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.12%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.47%.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 4,885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.60, for a total value of $413,271.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,897 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,091,086.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 18.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Company 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.