What is William Blair’s Estimate for MSM Q1 Earnings?

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – William Blair dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for MSC Industrial Direct in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, July 2nd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now expects that the industrial products company will earn $0.91 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.92. 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 $0.89 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.45 EPS.

MSM has been the topic of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised MSC Industrial Direct from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $73.00 to $89.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $89.00 target price on MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.33.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

Shares of MSM stock opened at $89.97 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business’s fifty day moving average is $81.07 and its 200 day moving average is $79.49. MSC Industrial Direct has a twelve month low of $68.10 and a twelve month high of $90.85. The stock has a market cap of $5.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.42 and a beta of 0.87.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mitchell Jacobson purchased 27,642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $69.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,928,582.34. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,951,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $136,171,853.25. This represents a 1.44% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 18.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,650,221 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $283,513,000 after purchasing an additional 231,961 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,987,455 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $148,443,000 after acquiring an additional 448,708 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,781,503 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $138,369,000 after acquiring an additional 88,247 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 22.9% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,762,248 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $136,867,000 after acquiring an additional 327,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,240,418 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $96,343,000 after acquiring an additional 33,607 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

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.