Wolfe Research Has Optimistic Outlook of MSM FY2026 Earnings

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) – Stock analysts at Wolfe Research raised their FY2026 EPS estimates for MSC Industrial Direct in a research note issued on Thursday, January 8th. Wolfe Research analyst R. Cooke now forecasts that the industrial products company will earn $4.29 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $4.08. Wolfe Research has a “Peer Perform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for MSC Industrial Direct’s current full-year earnings is $3.57 per share. Wolfe Research also issued estimates for MSC Industrial Direct’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.24 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.09 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.92 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $5.06 EPS, FY2029 earnings at $5.59 EPS and FY2030 earnings at $6.15 EPS.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.37% and a return on equity of 15.73%. The firm had revenue of $965.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $962.52 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on MSM. Wall Street Zen cut MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.43.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

Shares of MSM stock opened at $84.44 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $86.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.71 billion, a PE ratio of 23.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. MSC Industrial Direct has a 52 week low of $68.10 and a 52 week high of $94.31.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MSM. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct in the 4th quarter valued at about $320,000. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in MSC Industrial Direct during the fourth quarter worth approximately $144,000. Red Spruce Capital LLC increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 23,255 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,956,000 after buying an additional 773 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 15.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 288,489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,581,000 after acquiring an additional 38,088 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MSC Industrial Direct

In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson acquired 95,779 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $84.92 per share, with a total value of $8,133,552.68. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 2,219,295 shares in the company, valued at $188,462,531.40. This trade represents a 4.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Philip Peller acquired 6,666 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $90.14 per share, with a total value of $600,873.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $859,665.18. The trade was a 232.18% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired 211,342 shares of company stock worth $17,951,965 over the last quarter. 19.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MSC Industrial Direct Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 14th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 14th. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is 95.08%.

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc (NYSE: MSM) is a leading distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products serving a broad range of industrial customers across North America. The company offers an extensive portfolio of cutting tools, abrasives, measuring and inspection instruments, fasteners, safety supplies and other essential components used in manufacturing, metalworking and production environments. MSC delivers products through a multi-channel distribution network, including an extensive branch system, e-commerce platform and dedicated sales force.

In addition to its core product offerings, MSC Industrial Direct provides value-added services designed to improve productivity and reduce downtime for its customers.