Verity & Verity LLC Purchases 1,638 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Verity & Verity LLC raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM – Get Rating) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,990 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,638 shares during the period. Verity & Verity LLC owned approximately 0.08% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $3,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 2.1% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,792,145 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $421,727,000 after acquiring an additional 121,696 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,476,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $325,962,000 after buying an additional 72,338 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 4.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,322,821 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $96,315,000 after buying an additional 61,335 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 0.5% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,023,981 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $87,253,000 after buying an additional 5,411 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 7.9% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 811,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $69,131,000 after buying an additional 59,456 shares during the period. 73.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MSM. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $92.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Friday, January 6th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.00.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of MSM opened at $78.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $71.32 and a 12 month high of $90.04. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $83.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.35.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 5th. The industrial products company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $957.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $948.17 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 9.34% and a return on equity of 26.97%. Equities analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at MSC Industrial Direct

In other news, EVP Douglas E. Jones sold 23,918 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.92, for a total transaction of $2,150,706.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now 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 is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Douglas E. Jones sold 885 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $434,544. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Douglas E. Jones sold 23,918 shares of the firm’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.

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.