MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) Stock Price Target Cut by KeyCorp

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) had its price target decreased by research analysts at KeyCorp from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. KeyCorp‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 24.58% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded MSC Industrial Direct from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson set a $155.00 target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of MSC Industrial Direct in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $152.00 price target for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.44.

MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 15.4%

MSM opened at $112.38 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $123.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.53. The company has a market capitalization of $6.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.14 and a beta of 0.82. MSC Industrial Direct has a 52 week low of $78.80 and a 52 week high of $133.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.04. MSC Industrial Direct had a return on equity of 17.34% and a net margin of 5.91%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. VELA Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,789,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the second quarter worth $1,392,000. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 27.5% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 53,748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,959,000 after purchasing an additional 11,580 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 236,504 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,132,000 after purchasing an additional 27,171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,039,000. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about MSC Industrial Direct

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal fourth-quarter net sales rose 10.3% year over year to $1.079 billion, surpassing Wall Street expectations of approximately $1.07 billion. Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.45, ahead of estimates ranging from $1.39 to $1.41. MSC Industrial Supply Co. Reports Fiscal 2026 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects sales growth to continue into the first quarter, supporting the view that demand for MSC Industrial’s industrial and manufacturing products remains resilient. MSC Industrial Posts Lower Profit In Q4, Sees Sales Growth In Q1
• Neutral Sentiment: Although adjusted earnings improved from $1.09 per share a year earlier, reported diluted EPS was $0.85, compared with $1.01 in the prior-year quarter. This difference reflects the effect of adjustments and makes the headline earnings improvement less favorable than the adjusted figure suggests. MSC Industrial Direct Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Operating income was $72.8 million, or $117.8 million on an adjusted basis, while the reported operating margin was 6.7%. Investors appear focused on margin quality and the gap between reported and adjusted results rather than the sales beat alone. MSC Industrial Sinks Despite Record Sales as CEO Flags Inflationary Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: CEO remarks about “inflationary headwinds” heightened concerns that higher costs could pressure margins and future earnings. That warning likely outweighed the quarterly beats, contributing to the stock’s decline. MSC Industrial Sinks Despite Record Sales as CEO Flags Inflationary Headwinds

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.