MSC Industrial Direct (MSM) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE: MSM) is a leading distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products serving a broad range of industrial customers across North America. The company offers an extensive portfolio of cutting tools, abrasives, measuring and inspection instruments, fasteners, safety supplies and other essential components used in manufacturing, metalworking and production environments. MSC delivers products through a multi-channel distribution network, including an extensive branch system, e-commerce platform and dedicated sales force.

In addition to its core product offerings, MSC Industrial Direct provides value-added services designed to improve productivity and reduce downtime for its customers. These services include inventory management solutions, kitting and assembly, custom tooling design, and technical support delivered by application specialists. The company’s emphasis on technology enables customers to access real-time inventory data, order tracking and digital procurement tools through its online portal.

Founded in 1941 as the Manhattan Supply Company by Sidney Jacobson, MSC Industrial Direct is headquartered in Melville, New York. Since its initial public offering in 1976, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to maintain more than 100 branch locations throughout the United States and Canada. This extensive geographic footprint allows MSC to serve diverse industries, including automotive, aerospace, energy, government, and small- to medium-sized manufacturers.

MSC Industrial Direct is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Erik Gershwind, who has served in executive roles at the company for over two decades. Under his leadership, MSC has focused on enhancing customer experience through digital innovation, expanded product assortments and operational excellence. The company continues to invest in its distribution network and technology infrastructure to support its mission of delivering unparalleled service and expertise to industrial customers.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $103.68 to $106.05
• 50-Day Range: $85.64 to $105.28
• 52-Week Range: $74.30 to $106.05
• Volume: 513,751 shs
• Average Volume: 602,332 shs
• Market Capitalization: $5.88 billion
• P/E Ratio: 28.30
• Dividend Yield: 3.31%
• Price Target: $94.29
• Consensus Rating: Hold

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

MSC Industrial Direct scored higher than 51% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 112th out of 173 stocks in the industrials sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Hold

Consensus Rating

MSC Industrial Direct has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.11, and is based on no strong buy ratings, 1 buy rating, 8 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Downside Risk

MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus price target of $94.29, representing about 10.4% downside from its current price of $105.28.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

MSC Industrial Direct has only been the subject of 3 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.9 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 13.82%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for MSC Industrial Direct are expected to grow by 13.82% in the coming year, from $4.34 to $4.94 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of MSC Industrial Direct is 28.30, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 38.48.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of MSC Industrial Direct is 28.30, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Industrials sector average P/E ratio of about 25.51.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

MSC Industrial Direct has a P/B Ratio of 4.21. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 2.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Bearish

Percentage of Shares Shorted

6.08% of the float of MSC Industrial Direct has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

MSC Industrial Direct has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 4.33.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in MSC Industrial Direct has recently decreased by 4.10%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving.

Dividend

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Weak

Dividend Yield

MSC Industrial Direct pays a meaningful dividend of 3.44%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

MSC Industrial Direct has only been increasing its dividend for 3 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of MSC Industrial Direct is 93.55%. Payout ratios above 75% are not desirable because they may not be sustainable.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, MSC Industrial Direct will have a dividend payout ratio of 70.45% next year. This indicates that MSC Industrial Direct will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

News and Social Media

• Score: 4.4 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.98

News Sentiment

MSC Industrial Direct has a news sentiment score of 0.98. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.56 average news sentiment score of Industrials companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 4 news articles for MSC Industrial Direct this week, compared to 3 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

6 people have searched for MSM on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 500% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

1 people have added MSC Industrial Direct to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.4 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, MSC Industrial Direct insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

19.00% of the stock of MSC Industrial Direct is held by insiders. A high percentage of insider ownership can be a sign of company health.

Percentage Held by Institutions

79.26% of the stock of MSC Industrial Direct is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

MSM Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have MSM shares performed this year?

MSC Industrial Direct's stock was trading at $84.15 at the beginning of the year. Since then, MSM stock has increased by 25.1% and is now trading at $105.28.

How were MSC Industrial Direct's earnings last quarter?

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April, 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.02. MSC Industrial Direct's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis.
Read the conference call transcript.

Does MSC Industrial Direct have any subsidiaries?

MSC Industrial Direct subsidiaries include Tower Fasteners, Wm. F. Hurst Co. LLC, All Integrated Solutions Inc, Deco Tool Supply, Barnes Group Inc, American Specialty Grinding Co Inc., American Tool Supply, and more.

Who are MSC Industrial Direct's major shareholders?

Top institutional investors of MSC Industrial Direct include Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. (1.26%), Bank of New York Mellon Corp (0.87%), Boston Trust Walden Corp (0.87%) and Principal Financial Group Inc. (0.18%). Insiders that own company stock include Mitchell Jacobson, Erik Gershwind, Kimberly Shacklett, Philip Peller, Kristen Actis-Grande and Elizabeth Bledsoe.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of MSC Industrial Direct?

Shares of MSM stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of MSC Industrial Direct own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that MSC Industrial Direct investors own include Humana (HUM), American Water Works (AWK), Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR), Waste Connections (WCN), The RMR Group (RMR), AUO (AUOTY) and DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 4/01/2026
• Record date for 4/22 Dividend: 4/08/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 4/22 Dividend: 4/08/2026
• Dividend Payable: 4/22/2026
• Today: 5/06/2026
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 7/07/2026
• Fiscal Year End: 8/31/2026

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Industrials
• Industry: Industrial Services
• Sub-Industry: Trading Companies & Distributors
• Current Symbol: NYSE:MSM
• CIK: 1003078
• Web: www.mscdirect.com
• Phone: (516) 812-2000
• Fax: 516-349-7096
• Employees: 7,284
• Year Founded: 1941

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for MSC Industrial Direct: $94.29
• High Price Target: $117.00
• Low Price Target: $84.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: -10.4%
• Consensus Rating: Hold
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.11
• Research Coverage: 9 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $3.72
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 28.30
• Forward P/E Ratio: 24.26
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $199.33 million
• Net Margins: 5.42%
• Pretax Margin: 7.17%
• Return on Equity: 16.06%
• Return on Assets: 9.01%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.14
• Current Ratio: 1.73
• Quick Ratio: 0.78

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $3.77 billion
• Price / Sales: 1.56
• Cash Flow: $5.54 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 19.00
• Book Value: $25.03 per share
• Price / Book: 4.21

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 55,830,000
• Free Float: 45,226,000
• Market Cap: $5.88 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.83