William Blair Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for MSM

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) - Stock analysts at William Blair dropped their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for MSC Industrial Direct in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, January 8th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $0.68 per share 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.

MSM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Stephens lowered 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. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of 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 objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $85.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

MSM traded down $2.62 on Friday, hitting $80.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,331,725 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,268,704. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $82.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. MSC Industrial Direct has a 12 month low of $72.79 and a 12 month high of $104.76. The firm has a market cap of $4.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 0.91.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,733,228 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $216,772,000 after buying an additional 1,256,706 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,567,038 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $134,859,000 after acquiring an additional 113,878 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 7.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 938,980 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $74,467,000 after acquiring an additional 61,022 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 918,235 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $79,023,000 after purchasing an additional 91,369 shares during the period. Finally, Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 5.8% during the third quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 641,779 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,232,000 after buying an additional 35,077 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 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. The trade was a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $80,163.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at $360,199.08. This trade represents a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.25%. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio 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.