MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) Upgraded at Stephens

Stephens upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report released on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $135.00 target price on the industrial products company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $130.00.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Friday. Zacks Research lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. DA Davidson set a $155.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on MSC Industrial Direct from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.44.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

MSC Industrial Direct stock opened at $114.20 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.38 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. MSC Industrial Direct has a 1 year low of $78.80 and a 1 year high of $133.95. The company’s 50-day moving average is $123.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.69.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 5.55% and a return on equity of 18.72%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that MSC Industrial Direct will post 5.51 earnings per share for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be given a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a positive change from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. MSC Industrial Direct’s dividend payout ratio is 87.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Reuben E. Slone acquired 433 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $115.77 per share, for a total transaction of $50,128.41. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 433 shares in the company, valued at $50,128.41. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 19.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSC Industrial Direct

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,463,620 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $174,098,000 after buying an additional 52,860 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 20.9% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,773,133 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $163,607,000 after acquiring an additional 306,436 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 1.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,357,419 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $125,240,000 after acquiring an additional 14,484 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 43.0% in the first quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 705,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,122,000 after acquiring an additional 212,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the second quarter worth about $49,939,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

More MSC Industrial Direct News

Here are the key news stories impacting MSC Industrial Direct this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal fourth-quarter sales rose 10.3% year over year to $1.08 billion, exceeding expectations, while adjusted EPS of $1.45 topped the consensus estimate of $1.41. Management also anticipates continued sales growth in the first quarter. MSC Industrial Supply Co. Reports Fiscal 2026 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens upgraded MSM to “overweight” and raised its price target to $135 from $130. KeyCorp maintained an “overweight” rating while lowering its target to $140 from $145; both targets imply substantial upside from recent trading levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Director Reuben E. Slone purchased 433 shares for approximately $50,128, providing a modest insider-confidence signal. SEC insider transaction filing
• Neutral Sentiment: MSC Industrial released its fiscal 2026 Form 10-K, giving investors additional detail on its full-year operating performance, risks and strategic initiatives. MSC Industrial Direct Releases Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Report on Form 10-K
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with Fastenal and Grainger highlight MSM’s dividend tradeoffs, including the balance between yield, payout safety and long-term growth. Fastenal vs. Grainger vs. MSC Industrial
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP diluted EPS declined to $0.85 from $1.01 a year earlier, while operating income was pressured by asset impairments and other items. Adjusted operating margin was 10.9%, but the underlying margin trend and technology-strategy pivot raised investor concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged inflationary headwinds, increasing concern that labor, product and operating costs could limit the benefit of strong sales growth. These concerns explain why the stock has fallen sharply despite the earnings beat. MSC Industrial Sinks 14% Despite Record Sales

MSC Industrial Direct Company Profile

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc is a distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) supplies. The company serves industrial and institutional customers with products used in machining, manufacturing, facility maintenance and workplace safety.

Its offerings include cutting tools, abrasives, tooling and workholding equipment, machinery, safety products, material-handling supplies, janitorial and facility-maintenance products, and other industrial consumables. MSC also provides technical support, inventory-management programs, vending and other supply-chain services designed to help customers manage procurement and production-related needs.

Founded in 1941, MSC serves customers primarily across the United States and Canada through sales representatives, customer service teams, catalogs, distribution operations and digital commerce platforms.