MSC Industrial Direct (MSM) Competitors

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) and MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) are both trading companies & distributors companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, media sentiment, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.

Does the media refer more to FAST or MSM?

In the previous week, Fastenal had 37 more articles in the media than MSC Industrial Direct. MarketBeat recorded 43 mentions for Fastenal and 6 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct. MSC Industrial Direct's average media sentiment score of 1.68 beat Fastenal's score of 1.22 indicating that MSC Industrial Direct is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Fastenal	30 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
MSC Industrial Direct	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, FAST or MSM?

Fastenal has a beta of 0.95, indicating that its stock price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MSC Industrial Direct has a beta of 0.92, indicating that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has better earnings and valuation, FAST or MSM?

Fastenal has higher revenue and earnings than MSC Industrial Direct. MSC Industrial Direct is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fastenal, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Fastenal	$7.55B	7.41	$1.15B	$1.04	46.82
MSC Industrial Direct	$3.82B	1.28	$258.59M	$3.54	24.72

Do analysts recommend FAST or MSM?

Fastenal currently has a consensus target price of $46.36, suggesting a potential downside of 4.78%. MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus target price of $90.33, suggesting a potential upside of 3.21%. Given MSC Industrial Direct's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe MSC Industrial Direct is more favorable than Fastenal.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Fastenal	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.38
MSC Industrial Direct	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.60

Is FAST or MSM more profitable?

Fastenal has a net margin of 15.30% compared to MSC Industrial Direct's net margin of 5.30%. Fastenal's return on equity of 32.33% beat MSC Industrial Direct's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Fastenal	15.30%	32.33%	24.62%
MSC Industrial Direct	5.30%	14.99%	8.39%

Is FAST or MSM a better dividend stock?

Fastenal pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. Fastenal pays out 84.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. MSC Industrial Direct pays out 96.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Fastenal has increased its dividend for 26 consecutive years and MSC Industrial Direct has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in FAST or MSM?

81.4% of Fastenal shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of Fastenal shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 18.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Fastenal beats MSC Industrial Direct on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.