Equities Analysts Issue Forecasts for MSM Q2 Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – William Blair lowered their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 8th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $0.68 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.71. The consensus estimate for MSC Industrial Direct’s current full-year earnings is $3.63 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for MSC Industrial Direct’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.07 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.01 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.57 EPS.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.13. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 6.77%. The business had revenue of $928.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. MSC Industrial Direct’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stephens downgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Down 3.2 %

NYSE MSM opened at $80.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. MSC Industrial Direct has a 1-year low of $72.79 and a 1-year high of $104.76. The company has a 50 day moving average of $82.09 and a 200-day moving average of $81.81. The company has a market cap of $4.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 0.91.

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.25%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $80,163.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at $360,199.08. This represents a 18.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total transaction of $4,518,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,402,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $126,761,435.64. This trade represents a 3.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 35,300.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. 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.