William Blair Has Pessimistic Outlook of MSM Q3 Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Analysts at William Blair reduced their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, January 2nd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $1.08 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.21. 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 Q4 2025 earnings at $1.03 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $3.55 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.58 EPS.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $952.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $959.74 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share.

MSM has been the topic of a number of other research reports. 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 research note on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stephens cut 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 note on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 4.3 %

Shares of MSM opened at $78.47 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct has a 1-year low of $72.79 and a 1-year high of $104.76. The company has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.13 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter worth $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 35,300.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% in the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the company’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 transaction of $80,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at $360,199.08. This represents a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total value of $4,518,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.33%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 74.24%.

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.