William Blair Issues Pessimistic Outlook for MSM Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Research analysts at William Blair lowered their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for MSC Industrial Direct in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $1.05 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.07. 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 Q4 2025 earnings at $0.88 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.91 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.94 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.91 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.41 EPS.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 6.21%. The business had revenue of $891.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $908.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Loop Capital lowered their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $83.00 to $74.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $82.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE:MSM opened at $70.13 on Monday. MSC Industrial Direct has a one year low of $68.10 and a one year high of $95.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.74 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $79.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.23.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MSM. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,418,260 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $255,310,000 after purchasing an additional 193,860 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,987,455 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $148,443,000 after acquiring an additional 448,708 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,693,256 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $126,469,000 after acquiring an additional 126,218 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,434,415 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $107,168,000 after acquiring an additional 96,335 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 127.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,206,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,137,000 after acquiring an additional 676,238 shares in the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.85%. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 89.71%.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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.