William Blair Has Pessimistic Outlook of MSM Q1 Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Research analysts at William Blair cut their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note issued on Wednesday, July 2nd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the industrial products company will earn $0.91 per share for the quarter, down from their prior 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.

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

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on MSM. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 6th. Stephens upped their price objective on MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded 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 research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $89.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.33.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE MSM opened at $89.97 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a PE ratio of 25.42 and a beta of 0.87. MSC Industrial Direct has a 1 year low of $68.10 and a 1 year high of $90.85. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Institutional Trading of MSC Industrial Direct

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 207.8% during the first quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV now owns 397 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 895.0% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson acquired 27,642 shares of MSC Industrial Direct 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 transaction, the director directly owned 1,951,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $136,171,853.25. This represents a 1.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.71%.

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.