MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) Stock: Insider Reuben Slone Acquires 433 Shares

MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (NYSE:MSM) Director Reuben Slone purchased 433 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 approximately $50,128.41. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of MSM stock opened at $114.20 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $78.80 and a 12-month high of $133.95. The company has a market capitalization of $6.38 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $123.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 18.72% and a net margin of 5.55%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. 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 issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. This is an increase from MSC Industrial Direct’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. MSC Industrial Direct’s payout ratio is 87.44%.

Key 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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct during the second quarter worth $49,939,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,773,133 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $163,607,000 after acquiring an additional 306,436 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 43.0% during the first quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 705,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $65,122,000 after purchasing an additional 212,074 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 1st quarter worth about $13,756,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 19.5% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 366,572 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,604,000 after purchasing an additional 59,877 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on MSM. Wall Street Zen raised MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $130.00 price target on MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Friday. Stephens raised shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.44.

About MSC Industrial Direct

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.