William Blair Brokers Decrease Earnings Estimates for MSM

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) - Investment analysts at William Blair lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for MSC Industrial Direct in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, July 2nd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now anticipates that the industrial products company will earn $0.91 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.92. 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $0.89 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.45 EPS.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.05. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 14.99% and a net margin of 5.30%. The company had revenue of $971.15 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $969.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. MSC Industrial Direct's quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on MSM. Wolfe Research upgraded MSC Industrial Direct to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday, April 6th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $73.00 to $89.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $90.33.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

NYSE MSM traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $89.97. 706,491 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 619,471. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm's 50-day moving average is $80.82 and its 200-day moving average is $79.43. MSC Industrial Direct has a 52-week low of $68.10 and a 52-week high of $90.85. The company has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a PE ratio of 25.42 and a beta of 0.87.

Institutional Trading of MSC Industrial Direct

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 207.8% in the first quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV now owns 397 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the first quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 895.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson bought 27,642 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,951,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at $136,171,853.25. This represents a 1.44% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 18.30% of the company's stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.78%. MSC Industrial Direct's payout ratio is 89.71%.

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

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.