How These Equipment Wholesale Stocks are Faring? -- Fastenal, HD Supply, MSC Industrial Direct, and W.W. Grainger

NEW YORK, February 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Research reports have been issued by Stock-Callers.com today on Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST), HD Supply Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: HDS), MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc. (NYSE: MSM), and W.W. Grainger Inc. (NYSE: GWW). These companies are part of the Industrial Equipment Wholesale industry, which supplies the Manufacturing and Construction sectors with everything they need to run their day-to-day businesses. Products range from adhesives, faucets and paper towels, to more heavy-duty goods such as plumbing equipment, industrial fasteners, electrical products, power tools and safety equipment. Register now and get full and free access to our downloadable research reports on these stocks at:

http://stock-callers.com/registration

Fastenal  

Winona, Minnesota headquartered Fastenal Co.'s stock recorded a trading volume of 2.53 million shares last Friday, and finished the trading session 0.08% higher at $49.04. The Company's shares have gained 4.63% in the last one month, 29.03% over the previous three months, and 5.05% since the start of this year. The stock is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages by 2.20% and 11.93%, respectively. Furthermore, shares of Fastenal, which together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the US, Canada, and internationally, have a Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 50.64.

On January 18^th, 2017, Fastenal reported net sales of $947.95 million for Q4 2016, up 2.7% compared to net sales of $922.79 million in Q4 2015. For Q4 2016, Fastenal recorded gross profit of 49.8%, down 10 basis points versus the prior year. For Q4 2016, Fastenal reported net income of $114.81 million, or $0.40 per share, up 2.6% from net income of $111.90 million, or $0.39 per share in Q4 2015.

On January 19^th, 2017, research firm Stifel reiterated its 'Hold' rating on the Company's stock with an increase of the target price from $44 a share to $50 a share. Access our complete research report on FAST for free at:

http://stock-callers.com/registration/?symbol=FAST

HD Supply  

On Friday, Atlanta, Georgia headquartered HD Supply Holdings Inc.'s stock ended the session 1.21% higher at $42.64. A total volume of 1.18 million shares was traded. The Company's shares have advanced 29.41% over the previous three months and 0.31% on an YTD basis. The stock is trading 2.44% above its 50-day moving average and 18.18% above its 200-day moving average. Moreover, shares of HD Supply Holdings, which operates as an industrial distributor in North America, have an RSI of 55.91. The complimentary research report on HDS can be downloaded at:

http://stock-callers.com/registration/?symbol=HDS

MSC Industrial Direct  

Melville, New York headquartered MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc.'s stock ended the day 1.32% higher at $102.84 with a total trading volume of 446,659 shares. The Company's shares have gained 10.60% in the last month, 44.54% over the previous three months, and 11.86% on an YTD basis. The stock is trading 8.85% and 31.47% above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, respectively. Additionally, shares of MSC Industrial Direct, which together with its subsidiaries, markets and distributes various ranges of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations products primarily in the US, Canada, and the UK, have an RSI of 68.49.

On January 11^th, 2017, MSC Industrial reported net sales of $686.3 million for Q1 FY17 compared to net sales of $706.8 million in Q1 FY16. For Q1 FY17, MSC Industrial reported net income of $54.10 million or $0.95 diluted earnings per share compared to net income of $55.03 million, or $0.89 diluted earnings per share, in Q1 FY16. For Q2 FY17, MSC expects net sales in the range of $688 million and $701 million. The Company expects diluted earnings per share for Q2 FY17 to be between $0.86 and $0.90.

On January 17^th, 2017, research firm Credit Suisse upgraded the Company's stock rating from 'Underperform' to 'Neutral'. Register for free on Stock-Callers.com and get access to the latest PDF format report on MSM at:

http://stock-callers.com/registration/?symbol=MSM

W.W. Grainger  

Shares in Lake Forest, Illinois-based W.W. Grainger Inc. recorded a trading volume of 564,709 shares, and ended Friday's session 0.19% lower at $251.60. The stock has risen 6.46% in the last month, 24.32% over the previous three months, and 8.33% since the start of this year. The Company's shares are trading above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages by 5.71% and 11.66%, respectively. Furthermore, shares of W.W. Grainger, which distributes maintenance, repair, and operating supplies; and other related products and services that are used by businesses and institutions, have an RSI of 63.94.

On January 25^th, 2017, W.W. Grainger's board of directors declared a cash dividend of $1.22 per share payable on March 01^st, 2017, to shareholders of record on February 13^th, 2017.

On January 27^th, 2017, research firm Stifel reiterated its 'Hold' rating on the Company's stock with an increase of the target price from $245 a share to $266 a share. Download your free research report on GWW at:

http://stock-callers.com/registration/?symbol=GWW

Stock Callers: 

Stock Callers (SC) produces regular sponsored and non-sponsored reports, articles, stock market blogs, and popular investment newsletters covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and micro-cap stocks. SC has two distinct and independent departments. One department produces non-sponsored analyst certified content generally in the form of press releases, articles and reports covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and the other produces sponsored content (in most cases not reviewed by a registered analyst), which typically consists of compensated investment newsletters, articles and reports covering listed stocks and micro-caps. Such sponsored content is outside the scope of procedures detailed below. 

SC has not been compensated; directly or indirectly; for producing or publishing this document. 

PRESS RELEASE PROCEDURES:

The non-sponsored content contained herein has been prepared by a writer (the "Author") and is fact checked and reviewed by a third party research service company (the "Reviewer") represented by a credentialed financial analyst [for further information on analyst credentials, please email info@stock-callers.com. Rohit Tuli, a CFA® charterholder (the "Sponsor"), provides necessary guidance in preparing the document templates. The Reviewer has reviewed and revised the content, as necessary, based on publicly available information which is believed to be reliable. Content is researched, written and reviewed on a reasonable-effort basis. The Reviewer has not performed any independent investigations or forensic audits to validate the information herein. The Reviewer has only independently reviewed the information provided by the Author according to the procedures outlined by SC. SC is not entitled to veto or interfere in the application of such procedures by the third-party research service company to the articles, documents or reports, as the case may be. Unless otherwise noted, any content outside of this document has no association with the Author or the Reviewer in any way.  

NO WARRANTY 

SC, the Author, and the Reviewer are not responsible for any error which may be occasioned at the time of printing of this document or any error, mistake or shortcoming. No liability is accepted whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from the use of this document. SC, the Author, and the Reviewer expressly disclaim any fiduciary responsibility or liability for any consequences, financial or otherwise arising from any reliance placed on the information in this document. Additionally, SC, the Author, and the Reviewer do not (1) guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or correct sequencing of the information, or (2) warrant any results from use of the information. The included information is subject to change without notice. 

NOT AN OFFERING 

This document is not intended as an offering, recommendation, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities mentioned or discussed, and is to be used for informational purposes only. Please read all associated disclosures and disclaimers in full before investing. Neither SC nor any party affiliated with us is a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer with any agency or in any jurisdiction whatsoever. To download our report(s), read our disclosures, or for more information, visit

http://stock-callers.com/legal-disclaimer/

CONTACT
For any questions, inquiries, or comments reach out to us directly. If you're a company we are covering and wish to no longer feature on our coverage list contact us via email and/or phone between 09:30 EDT to 16:00 EDT from Monday to Friday at:
Email: info@stock-callers.com
Phone number:  +44-330-808-3765
Office Address: Clyde Offices, Second Floor, 48 West George Street, Glasgow, U.K. -G2 1BP

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

SOURCE Chelmsford Park SA