William Blair Has Pessimistic Outlook of MSM FY2026 Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Equities researchers at William Blair lowered their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for MSC Industrial Direct in a research report issued on Thursday, January 2nd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $4.04 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $4.74. The consensus estimate for MSC Industrial Direct’s current full-year earnings is $3.63 per share.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 4.3 %

MSM opened at $78.47 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.13 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $82.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.80. 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 has a 1-year low of $72.79 and a 1-year high of $104.76.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.05). The company 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 business’s revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% in the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total transaction of $4,518,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,402,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $126,761,435.64. This trade represents a 3.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $80,163.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $360,199.08. The trade was a 18.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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 paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.33%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.