Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its position in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 155,727 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 19,408 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.28% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $11,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MSM. Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 76.0% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 424,437 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,701,000 after buying an additional 183,343 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter valued at $12,170,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $126,469,000 after buying an additional 126,218 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 618,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $46,166,000 after buying an additional 105,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 793,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $59,243,000 after buying an additional 70,076 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSM has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens cut shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.80.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

MSM stock opened at $77.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.93. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.79 and a 52 week high of $100.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $80.35 and its 200 day moving average is $81.43. The firm has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49 and a beta of 0.90.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $928.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $904.90 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 17.80%. The company’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. Research analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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.