William Blair Issues Negative Outlook for MSM Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Stock analysts at William Blair decreased their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, January 8th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $0.68 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.71. The consensus estimate for MSC Industrial Direct’s current full-year earnings is $3.63 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for MSC Industrial Direct’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.07 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.01 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.57 EPS.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.13. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The firm had revenue of $928.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.90 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. MSC Industrial Direct’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Stephens downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $82.75 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct has a twelve month low of $72.79 and a twelve month high of $104.76. The company has a market capitalization of $4.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $82.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.11%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 74.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total transaction of $4,518,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,402,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $126,761,435.64. This represents a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $80,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at $360,199.08. The trade was a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MSM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 15.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 258,646 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,259,000 after acquiring an additional 35,289 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the third quarter valued at approximately $204,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 2.0% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 25,675 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,210,000 after purchasing an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $248,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.