William Blair Has Positive Outlook of MSM FY2025 Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Stock analysts at William Blair lifted their FY2025 earnings estimates for MSC Industrial Direct in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, January 8th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now anticipates that the industrial products company will earn $3.63 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $3.55. 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 FY2026 earnings at $4.06 EPS.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

NYSE:MSM opened at $82.49 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.01 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50-day moving average of $82.11 and a 200-day moving average of $81.88. MSC Industrial Direct has a 52 week low of $72.79 and a 52 week high of $104.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.96.

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

MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 15th. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is currently 81.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $80,163.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,199.08. This represents a 18.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 1,402,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $126,761,435.64. This represents a 3.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter worth about $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 442.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. 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 worth $28,000 after buying an additional 353 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 57.0% during the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 53.0% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. 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.