MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. to Post Q1 2025 Earnings of $0.88 Per Share, William Blair Forecasts (NYSE:MSM)

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Analysts at William Blair cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note issued on Tuesday, October 8th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $0.88 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.95. The consensus estimate for MSC Industrial Direct’s current full-year earnings is $4.84 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for MSC Industrial Direct’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.51 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.37 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $4.82 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp cut MSC Industrial Direct from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Friday, June 14th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $95.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Price Performance

MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $81.33 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 2.01. MSC Industrial Direct has a 52 week low of $75.05 and a 52 week high of $105.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $81.72 and a 200-day moving average of $85.48.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSM. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 85.1% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,733,228 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $216,772,000 after acquiring an additional 1,256,706 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the first quarter valued at $16,571,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 804.5% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 173,653 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,772,000 after purchasing an additional 154,454 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 1,715.2% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 143,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,373,000 after purchasing an additional 135,500 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 458.4% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 119,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,493,000 after purchasing an additional 98,265 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, SVP Kimberly Shacklett sold 4,885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.60, for a total transaction of $413,271.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 12,897 shares in the company, valued at $1,091,086.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 18.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is a positive change from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.18%. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.47%.

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.