William Blair Issues Negative Estimate for MSM Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Equities research analysts at William Blair lowered their Q3 2025 EPS estimates for shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $1.05 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.07. The consensus estimate for MSC Industrial Direct’s current full-year earnings is $3.57 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for MSC Industrial Direct’s Q4 2025 earnings at $0.88 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.91 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.94 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.91 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.41 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on MSM. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research started coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 5.3 %

Shares of MSM opened at $71.19 on Monday. MSC Industrial Direct has a twelve month low of $70.13 and a twelve month high of $95.88. The stock has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 16.99 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $79.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.34.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $908.30 million. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.78%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 1,092 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 43.4% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,371 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,581,000 after acquiring an additional 5,563 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 2.8% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 46,507 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,003,000 after acquiring an additional 1,254 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 37.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 45,917 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,952,000 after acquiring an additional 12,628 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd grew its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 398.1% during the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 15,860 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,365,000 after purchasing an additional 12,676 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

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.