William Blair Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for MSM

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Investment analysts at William Blair raised their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for MSC Industrial Direct in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, October 23rd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $0.96 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 Q3 2026 earnings at $1.25 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.25 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.33 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.93 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on MSM. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stephens upped their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target 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, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded MSC Industrial Direct from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $91.50.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

MSM stock opened at $85.74 on Monday. MSC Industrial Direct has a twelve month low of $68.10 and a twelve month high of $94.31. The firm has a market cap of $4.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $89.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.06. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 5.29%.The firm had revenue of $978.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $964.03 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is an increase from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.75%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 130.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 576 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently 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.