William Blair Issues Optimistic Outlook for MSM Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Equities research analysts at William Blair upped their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 1st. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now expects that the industrial products company will earn $0.92 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.91. 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 $0.95 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.17 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $0.94 EPS.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.05. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 14.99%. The company had revenue of $971.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $969.72 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the company. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $89.00 price target on MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research upgraded MSC Industrial Direct to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $73.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.33.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:MSM opened at $89.56 on Wednesday. MSC Industrial Direct has a 52 week low of $68.10 and a 52 week high of $90.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $80.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.92. The firm has a market cap of $4.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.30 and a beta of 0.87.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.80%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In other news, Director Mitchell Jacobson acquired 27,642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $69.77 per share, with a total value of $1,928,582.34. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at $136,171,853.25. The trade was a 1.44% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV raised its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 207.8% during the 1st 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 period. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.