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MSC Industrial Direct (MSM) Competitors

MSC Industrial Direct logo
$122.00 -0.50 (-0.41%)
Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$121.98 -0.03 (-0.02%)
As of 07:30 PM Eastern
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MSM vs. FAST, LECO, NDSN, AIT, and DCI

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), Nordson (NDSN), Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT), and Donaldson (DCI). 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?

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

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

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
MSC Industrial Direct5.91% 17.34% 9.79%
Fastenal 15.45%34.03%26.16%

MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Fastenal pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. 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 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 has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Fastenal has raised its dividend for 26 consecutive years. MSC Industrial Direct is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

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

In the previous week, Fastenal had 33 more articles in the media than MSC Industrial Direct. MarketBeat recorded 34 mentions for Fastenal and 1 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct. Fastenal's average media sentiment score of 1.63 beat MSC Industrial Direct's score of 0.67 indicating that Fastenal is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

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
MSC Industrial Direct$3.77B1.81$199.33M$4.1429.47
Fastenal$8.20B7.15$1.26B$1.1843.33

MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus price target of $123.43, suggesting a potential upside of 1.17%. Fastenal has a consensus price target of $49.17, suggesting a potential downside of 3.84%. Given MSC Industrial Direct's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe MSC Industrial Direct is more favorable than Fastenal.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
MSC Industrial Direct
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75
Fastenal
2 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.25

Summary

Fastenal beats MSC Industrial Direct on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does MSC Industrial Direct compare to Lincoln Electric?

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

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
Lincoln Electric12.35% 39.23% 15.25%
MSC Industrial Direct 5.91%17.34%9.79%

Lincoln Electric pays an annual dividend of $3.16 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%. Lincoln Electric pays out 31.6% 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. Lincoln Electric has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years and MSC Industrial Direct has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

In the previous week, Lincoln Electric had 39 more articles in the media than MSC Industrial Direct. MarketBeat recorded 40 mentions for Lincoln Electric and 1 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct. Lincoln Electric's average media sentiment score of 1.64 beat MSC Industrial Direct's score of 0.67 indicating that Lincoln Electric is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

Lincoln Electric presently has a consensus price target of $307.22, indicating a potential upside of 6.04%. MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus price target of $123.43, indicating a potential upside of 1.17%. Given Lincoln Electric's higher probable 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
Lincoln Electric
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.70
MSC Industrial Direct
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75

Lincoln Electric has a beta of 1.2, suggesting that its share price is 20% 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.

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
Lincoln Electric$4.23B3.73$520.53M$10.0128.94
MSC Industrial Direct$3.77B1.81$199.33M$4.1429.47

79.6% of Lincoln Electric shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by institutional investors. 1.7% of Lincoln Electric 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 hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

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 Nordson?

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

79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 72.1% of Nordson shares are held by institutional investors. 19.0% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Nordson shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

MSC Industrial Direct has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its share price is 17% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Nordson has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its share price is 4% less volatile than the broader market.

Nordson has a net margin of 18.63% compared to MSC Industrial Direct's net margin of 5.91%. Nordson's return on equity of 20.49% 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%
Nordson 18.63%20.49%10.88%

Nordson has lower revenue, but higher earnings than MSC Industrial Direct. MSC Industrial Direct is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nordson, 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$4.1429.47
Nordson$2.79B6.60$484.47M$9.8933.45

MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus target price of $123.43, indicating a potential upside of 1.17%. Nordson has a consensus target price of $326.57, indicating a potential downside of 1.29%. Given MSC Industrial Direct's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe MSC Industrial Direct is more favorable than Nordson.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
MSC Industrial Direct
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75
Nordson
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.63

In the previous week, Nordson had 40 more articles in the media than MSC Industrial Direct. MarketBeat recorded 41 mentions for Nordson and 1 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct. Nordson's average media sentiment score of 1.11 beat MSC Industrial Direct's score of 0.67 indicating that Nordson is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
MSC Industrial Direct
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Nordson
24 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
8 Neutral mention(s)
0 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%. Nordson pays an annual dividend of $3.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. 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. Nordson pays out 33.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. MSC Industrial Direct has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Nordson has raised its dividend for 62 consecutive years.

Summary

Nordson beats MSC Industrial Direct on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does MSC Industrial Direct compare to Applied Industrial Technologies?

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

Applied Industrial Technologies has higher revenue and earnings than MSC Industrial Direct. MSC Industrial Direct is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Applied Industrial Technologies, 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$4.1429.47
Applied Industrial Technologies$4.97B2.50$414.52M$10.9630.87

MSC Industrial Direct has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its share price is 17% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Applied Industrial Technologies has a beta of 0.84, indicating that its share price is 16% less volatile than the broader market.

MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus price target of $123.43, suggesting a potential upside of 1.17%. Applied Industrial Technologies has a consensus price target of $400.00, suggesting a potential upside of 18.21%. Given Applied Industrial Technologies' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Applied Industrial Technologies 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)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75
Applied Industrial Technologies
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

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
MSC Industrial Direct5.91% 17.34% 9.79%
Applied Industrial Technologies 8.35%22.17%13.43%

MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Applied Industrial Technologies pays an annual dividend of $2.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. 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 pays out 18.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. MSC Industrial Direct has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Applied Industrial Technologies has increased its dividend for 16 consecutive years.

In the previous week, Applied Industrial Technologies had 20 more articles in the media than MSC Industrial Direct. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for Applied Industrial Technologies and 1 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct. Applied Industrial Technologies' average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat MSC Industrial Direct's score of 0.67 indicating that Applied Industrial Technologies is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
MSC Industrial Direct
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Applied Industrial Technologies
19 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.5% of Applied Industrial Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 19.0% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.6% of Applied Industrial Technologies 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.

Summary

Applied Industrial Technologies beats MSC Industrial Direct on 17 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does MSC Industrial Direct compare to Donaldson?

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

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
MSC Industrial Direct5.91% 17.34% 9.79%
Donaldson 11.68%28.68%14.27%

MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Donaldson pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. 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 pays out 34.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. MSC Industrial Direct has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Donaldson has raised its dividend for 38 consecutive years.

In the previous week, Donaldson had 29 more articles in the media than MSC Industrial Direct. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Donaldson and 1 mentions for MSC Industrial Direct. Donaldson's average media sentiment score of 1.33 beat MSC Industrial Direct's score of 0.67 indicating that Donaldson is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
MSC Industrial Direct
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Donaldson
23 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

79.3% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.8% of Donaldson shares are held by institutional investors. 19.0% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of Donaldson shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds 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
MSC Industrial Direct$3.77B1.81$199.33M$4.1429.47
Donaldson$3.89B2.76$367M$3.7224.84

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

MSC Industrial Direct presently has a consensus price target of $123.43, indicating a potential upside of 1.17%. Donaldson has a consensus price target of $100.33, indicating a potential upside of 8.58%. Given Donaldson's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Donaldson 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)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75
Donaldson
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.60

Summary

Donaldson beats MSC Industrial Direct on 13 of the 20 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$6.84B$9.29B$10.68B$24.32B
Dividend Yield2.84%3.39%97.24%3.71%
P/E Ratio29.4727.7126.5630.24
Price / Sales1.8123.38356.4120.77
Price / Cash22.6048.2924.4933.18
Price / Book4.873.234.497.68
Net Income$199.33M$371.61M$611.08M$1.07B
7 Day Performance3.66%-0.72%0.16%0.43%
1 Month Performance-3.63%1.11%1.90%2.10%
1 Year Performance33.00%6.83%11.17%14.16%

MSC Industrial Direct Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
MSM
MSC Industrial Direct
3.3699 of 5 stars
$122.00
-0.4%
$123.43
+1.2%
+34.2%$6.84B$3.77B29.477,284
FAST
Fastenal
3.9873 of 5 stars
$51.23
+0.4%
$49.17
-4.0%
+2.4%$58.55B$8.20B43.4224,489
LECO
Lincoln Electric
4.3621 of 5 stars
$286.02
-0.3%
$307.22
+7.4%
+17.8%$15.64B$4.23B28.5712,000
NDSN
Nordson
4.0109 of 5 stars
$309.83
+0.4%
$311.29
+0.5%
+47.8%$17.20B$2.79B33.038,000
AIT
Applied Industrial Technologies
4.9168 of 5 stars
$359.24
-0.7%
$384.29
+7.0%
+28.0%$13.38B$4.97B32.786,900

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This page (NYSE:MSM) was last updated on 8/27/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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