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MSC Industrial Direct (MSM) Competitors

MSC Industrial Direct logo
$122.08 +1.60 (+1.33%)
As of 01:52 PM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

MSM vs. FAST, LECO, AIT, DCI, and DOV

Should you buy MSC Industrial Direct stock or one of its competitors? MSC Industrial Direct's main competitors and comparable companies include Fastenal (FAST), Lincoln Electric (LECO), Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT), Donaldson (DCI), and Dover (DOV). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "industrials" sector.

How does MSC Industrial Direct compare to Fastenal?

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

Fastenal has a net margin of 15.45% compared to MSC Industrial Direct's net margin of 5.91%. Fastenal's return on equity of 34.03% beat MSC Industrial Direct's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Fastenal15.45% 34.03% 26.16%
MSC Industrial Direct 5.91%17.34%9.79%

Fastenal presently has a consensus target price of $49.50, indicating a potential upside of 1.49%. MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus target price of $123.43, indicating a potential upside of 1.25%. Given Fastenal's higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Fastenal is more favorable than MSC Industrial Direct.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Fastenal
2 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.31
MSC Industrial Direct
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38

In the previous week, Fastenal had 2 more articles in the media than MSC Industrial Direct. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Fastenal and 7 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct. Fastenal's average media sentiment score of 1.06 beat MSC Industrial Direct's score of 0.96 indicating that Fastenal is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

Fastenal pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Fastenal pays out 88.1% 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 84.1% 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 raised its dividend for 26 consecutive years and MSC Industrial Direct has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years. MSC Industrial Direct is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Fastenal has a beta of 0.72, meaning that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, MSC Industrial Direct has a beta of 0.83, meaning that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the broader market.

81.4% of Fastenal shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Fastenal shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 19.0% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Fastenal$8.20B6.83$1.26B$1.1841.33
MSC Industrial Direct$3.77B1.81$199.33M$4.1429.44

Summary

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

How does MSC Industrial Direct compare to Lincoln Electric?

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) and Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and media sentiment.

In the previous week, MSC Industrial Direct and MSC Industrial Direct both had 7 articles in the media. MSC Industrial Direct's average media sentiment score of 0.96 beat Lincoln Electric's score of 0.77 indicating that MSC Industrial Direct is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
MSC Industrial Direct
3 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Lincoln Electric
3 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Lincoln Electric pays an annual dividend of $3.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. MSC Industrial Direct pays out 84.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Lincoln Electric pays out 31.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. MSC Industrial Direct has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Lincoln Electric has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years.

79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.6% of Lincoln Electric shares are owned by institutional investors. 19.0% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of Lincoln Electric shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

MSC Industrial Direct has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its share price is 17% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Lincoln Electric has a beta of 1.21, suggesting that its share price is 21% more volatile than the broader market.

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
MSC Industrial Direct$3.77B1.81$199.33M$4.1429.44
Lincoln Electric$4.23B3.32$520.53M$10.0125.78

Lincoln Electric has a net margin of 12.35% compared to MSC Industrial Direct's net margin of 5.91%. Lincoln Electric's return on equity of 39.23% beat MSC Industrial Direct's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
MSC Industrial Direct5.91% 17.34% 9.79%
Lincoln Electric 12.35%39.23%15.25%

MSC Industrial Direct presently has a consensus target price of $123.43, suggesting a potential upside of 1.25%. Lincoln Electric has a consensus target price of $307.22, suggesting a potential upside of 19.04%. Given Lincoln Electric's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Lincoln Electric is more favorable than MSC Industrial Direct.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
MSC Industrial Direct
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38
Lincoln Electric
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.70

Summary

Lincoln Electric beats MSC Industrial Direct on 15 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does MSC Industrial Direct compare to Applied Industrial Technologies?

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) and MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) are both industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, valuation, risk, media sentiment, dividends and analyst recommendations.

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Applied Industrial Technologies$4.97B2.35$414.52M$10.9629.04
MSC Industrial Direct$3.77B1.81$199.33M$4.1429.44

93.5% of Applied Industrial Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by institutional investors. 1.6% of Applied Industrial Technologies shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 19.0% 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 stock is poised for long-term growth.

Applied Industrial Technologies has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, MSC Industrial Direct has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the broader market.

Applied Industrial Technologies has a net margin of 8.35% compared to MSC Industrial Direct's net margin of 5.91%. Applied Industrial Technologies' return on equity of 22.17% beat MSC Industrial Direct's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Applied Industrial Technologies8.35% 22.17% 13.43%
MSC Industrial Direct 5.91%17.34%9.79%

In the previous week, MSC Industrial Direct had 3 more articles in the media than Applied Industrial Technologies. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct and 4 mentions for Applied Industrial Technologies. MSC Industrial Direct's average media sentiment score of 0.96 beat Applied Industrial Technologies' score of 0.78 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
Applied Industrial Technologies
3 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
MSC Industrial Direct
3 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Applied Industrial Technologies pays an annual dividend of $2.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Applied Industrial Technologies pays out 18.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. MSC Industrial Direct pays out 84.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Applied Industrial Technologies has increased its dividend for 16 consecutive years and MSC Industrial Direct has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Applied Industrial Technologies presently has a consensus price target of $400.00, indicating a potential upside of 25.67%. MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus price target of $123.43, indicating a potential upside of 1.25%. Given Applied Industrial Technologies' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Applied Industrial Technologies is more favorable than MSC Industrial Direct.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Applied Industrial Technologies
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00
MSC Industrial Direct
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38

Summary

Applied Industrial Technologies beats MSC Industrial Direct on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does MSC Industrial Direct compare to Donaldson?

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) and MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) are both mid-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, institutional ownership and earnings.

Donaldson pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Donaldson pays out 33.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. MSC Industrial Direct pays out 84.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Donaldson has raised its dividend for 38 consecutive years and MSC Industrial Direct has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Donaldson has a net margin of 11.68% compared to MSC Industrial Direct's net margin of 5.91%. Donaldson's return on equity of 28.68% beat MSC Industrial Direct's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Donaldson11.68% 28.68% 14.27%
MSC Industrial Direct 5.91%17.34%9.79%

In the previous week, MSC Industrial Direct had 1 more articles in the media than Donaldson. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct and 6 mentions for Donaldson. MSC Industrial Direct's average media sentiment score of 0.96 beat Donaldson's score of 0.80 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
Donaldson
3 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
MSC Industrial Direct
3 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Donaldson has a beta of 0.92, suggesting that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, MSC Industrial Direct has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the broader market.

82.8% of Donaldson shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by institutional investors. 2.2% of Donaldson shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 19.0% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Donaldson$3.89B2.57$453.80M$3.8522.38
MSC Industrial Direct$3.77B1.81$199.33M$4.1429.44

Donaldson presently has a consensus target price of $101.00, suggesting a potential upside of 17.20%. MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus target price of $123.43, suggesting a potential upside of 1.25%. Given Donaldson's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Donaldson is more favorable than MSC Industrial Direct.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Donaldson
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.60
MSC Industrial Direct
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38

Summary

Donaldson beats MSC Industrial Direct on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does MSC Industrial Direct compare to Dover?

Dover (NYSE:DOV) and MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) are both industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment and analyst recommendations.

Dover pays an annual dividend of $2.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Dover pays out 25.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. MSC Industrial Direct pays out 84.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Dover has increased its dividend for 70 consecutive years and MSC Industrial Direct has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Dover has a beta of 1.15, suggesting that its share price is 15% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, MSC Industrial Direct has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its share price is 17% less volatile than the broader market.

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Dover$8.09B3.14$1.09B$8.3022.75
MSC Industrial Direct$3.77B1.81$199.33M$4.1429.44

Dover presently has a consensus target price of $238.29, indicating a potential upside of 26.17%. MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus target price of $123.43, indicating a potential upside of 1.25%. Given Dover's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Dover is more favorable than MSC Industrial Direct.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Dover
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
10 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67
MSC Industrial Direct
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38

In the previous week, MSC Industrial Direct had 1 more articles in the media than Dover. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct and 6 mentions for Dover. Dover's average media sentiment score of 1.10 beat MSC Industrial Direct's score of 0.96 indicating that Dover is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Dover
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
MSC Industrial Direct
3 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Dover has a net margin of 13.48% compared to MSC Industrial Direct's net margin of 5.91%. Dover's return on equity of 18.32% beat MSC Industrial Direct's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Dover13.48% 18.32% 10.26%
MSC Industrial Direct 5.91%17.34%9.79%

84.5% of Dover shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of Dover shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.0% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Dover beats MSC Industrial Direct on 15 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding MSM and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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MSM vs. The Competition

MetricMSC Industrial DirectTrading Companies & Distributors IndustryIndustrials SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$6.81B$9.35B$10.24B$23.08B
Dividend Yield2.90%3.49%97.16%3.59%
P/E Ratio29.4427.3625.5428.41
Price / Sales1.8122.98276.5620.35
Price / Cash22.1247.5223.6733.71
Price / Book4.873.774.814.70
Net Income$199.33M$372.29M$613.19M$1.07B
7 Day Performance1.76%1.19%1.33%-0.39%
1 Month Performance-2.39%-4.38%-4.32%-3.48%
1 Year Performance33.71%6.10%5.11%9.44%

MSC Industrial Direct Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
MSM
MSC Industrial Direct
2.6709 of 5 stars
$122.08
+1.3%
$123.43
+1.1%
+31.1%$6.82B$3.77B29.497,284
FAST
Fastenal
2.944 of 5 stars
$49.60
flat
$49.17
-0.9%
+3.8%$56.92B$8.20B42.0324,489
LECO
Lincoln Electric
4.4219 of 5 stars
$276.44
flat
$307.22
+11.1%
+9.1%$15.07B$4.23B27.6212,000
AIT
Applied Industrial Technologies
4.8236 of 5 stars
$325.36
-0.1%
$400.00
+22.9%
+20.0%$11.95B$4.97B29.696,900
DCI
Donaldson
4.7436 of 5 stars
$91.09
+0.1%
$101.00
+10.9%
+6.9%$10.55B$3.89B23.6615,000

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This page (NYSE:MSM) was last updated on 9/17/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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