MSC Industrial Direct

MSM · NYSE · Industrials · Financials, fiscal 2017 to 2026

MSM · Last close · October 26, 2026

$118.72

MSC Industrial Direct's revenue rose 6.4% to $4.0 billion in fiscal 2026. Its operating margin was 8.0%, about the same as 8.0% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $225 million, down 6.5%. It paid out $208 million in dividends and buybacks, 93% of free cash flow. The diluted share count rose 0.2%.

MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO., INC. Latest fiscal year ended August 29, 2026 10-K filed October 22, 2026 · 0001003078-26-000110 Updated October 22, 2026

Revenue

$4.0B

6.4%

Operating margin

8.0%

0.0 pts

Net income

$223M

11.7%

Free cash flow

$225M

6.5%

Return on capital

13.2%

1.0 pts

Market cap

$6.6B

Oct 26 close

P/E

29.8x

On $3.98 EPS, FY26

Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.

Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.

Revenue and margins

Revenue

US$ billions, fiscal years

Margins

Percent of revenue

GrossOperatingNetFree cash flow

Net income and earnings per share

From fiscal 2017 to 2026, earnings per share fell 0.2% a year and net income 0.4% a year, while buybacks cut the share count by 2%.

Net income

US$ billions, fiscal years; loss years in red.

Diluted earnings per share

US$ per share, fiscal years, restated for any stock splits; loss years in red.

Returns on capital

Return on capital and on equity

Percent. Return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business (debt plus equity, minus cash); return on equity is net income over shareholders' equity. Both use the average of opening and closing balances.

Return on capitalReturn on equity

Cash flow

Free cash flow

US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure; negative years in red.

Payouts and share count

Dividends and buybacks

US$ billions, cash paid in each fiscal year

DividendsShare buybacks

Diluted share count

Weighted-average diluted shares, millions

Valuation

Two ways to value MSC Industrial Direct yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.

Discounted cash flow (DCF)

A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from MSC Industrial Direct's 10-K and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from MSC Industrial Direct's fiscal 2026 free cash flow of $225M, net cash of −$412M at August 29, 2026 and 56 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to MSC Industrial Direct: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, 0.0% a year; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 11%: 9% for a business of moderate risk (Trading Companies & Distributors), plus 1 point as a smaller company, worth $6.6B, plus 1 point for unsteady results (revenue fell in two of the last five years); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

From the filings

Starting free cash flow, US$ millions

Cash from operations minus capital spending in fiscal 2026.

Net cash, US$ millions Cash and short-term investments minus debt and finance leases at August 29, 2026. Negative means net debt.

Diluted shares, millions Weighted-average diluted shares in fiscal 2026.

Your assumptions

Start from

Fitted to MSC Industrial Direct's own revenue growth, as above. Cautious: growth of -2% then 0% a year, 2% after year 10, a 12% discount rate. Base: growth of 0% then 1% a year, 2.5% after year 10, a 11% discount rate. Optimistic: growth of 2% then 2.5% a year, 3% after year 10, a 10% discount rate.

Free cash flow growth, years 1 to 5 (% a year)

Free cash flow growth, years 6 to 10 (% a year)

Growth after year 10 (% a year)Long-run growth forever after year 10. Usually close to inflation, and always below the discount rate.

Discount rate (% a year)The yearly return an investor wants for the risk. A higher rate gives a lower value.

Value per share on these assumptions

—

Last close, October 26, 2026: $118.72
Value on these assumptions, against the last close: —

Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today: —
Everything after year 10, valued today: —
Plus net cash: —
Share of value from after year 10: —

Projected free cash flow

US$ billions. Each column is one year's projected free cash flow, split into what it is worth today and the part removed by discounting.

Value todayRemoved by discounting

How the value changes with two assumptions

Value per share in US$, with the growth rates above. The highlighted cell matches the current assumptions.

How the model works. Free cash flow grows at the first rate for five years and the second rate for five more, and each year is discounted at the discount rate. Everything after year 10 is valued as year-10 cash flow × (1 + growth after year 10) ÷ (discount rate − growth after year 10), discounted back ten years. Net cash is added and the total is divided by diluted shares. The result depends entirely on the assumptions. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation. The last close is the consolidated US closing price, from Databento.

Price-to-earnings (P/E) method

Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from MSC Industrial Direct's earnings per share of $3.98 (in fiscal 2026). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 28×, the middle of MSC Industrial Direct's own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (its peers' median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 12%, 11% and 10%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

Earnings per share, US$ Diluted earnings per share in fiscal 2026, from the 10-K.

P/E multiple

P/E today is the last close divided by the latest earnings per share, the four quarters' where available. Peers: Applied Industrial Technologies, Watsco, Core & Main, Fastenal.

Earnings growth in the years ahead (% a year) Starts at MSC Industrial Direct's revenue growth over the last 3 years, 0.0% a year, as the base scenario does.

Earnings per share in the years ahead, US$

Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5

Type your own estimate for any year; the years after it carry on at the growth rate.

Apply the multiple to earnings

A multiple on a future year's earnings gives the price then, brought back to today at the discount rate below.

Discount rate (% a year) The yearly return an investor wants for the risk, as in the cash flow model.

Value per share today at this multiple

—

Last close, October 26, 2026: $118.72
Value at this multiple, against the last close: —
MSC Industrial Direct's P/E at the last close: 29.8×

Company	Last close	Earnings per share	P/E today
FastenalFAST	$52.47	$1.23	42.7×
MSC Industrial DirectMSM	$118.72	$3.98	29.8×
Applied Industrial TechnologiesAIT	$324.68	$10.95	29.7×
WatscoWSO	$305.33	$11.62	26.3×
Core & MainCNM	$42.38	$2.43	17.4×

How the P/E method works. Value per share is earnings per share times the multiple. On a future year's earnings, that gives the price in that year, which is brought back to today at the discount rate: price ÷ (1 + discount rate) for each year ahead. It is quick and easy to compare across companies, but it ignores debt and cash, and earnings can swing with one-off gains and charges, so a multiple says most about steady, profitable businesses. Like the cash flow model, the result depends entirely on the assumptions you choose. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation.

Balance sheet

Fiscal year end	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25	FY26
Cash and short-term investments	44	50	30	56	65
Debt incl. finance leases	795	454	509	486	477
Net debt (negative means net cash)	751	404	479	430	412
Net debt to EBITDA	1.4x	0.7x	1.0x	1.1x	1.0x
Debt to equity	0.6x	0.3x	0.4x	0.3x	0.3x
Interest coverage	26.6x	21.5x	15.2x	12.5x	14.8x
Current ratio	2.1x	2.0x	2.0x	1.7x	1.8x
Quick ratio	1.1x	0.9x	0.9x	0.8x	0.8x

US$ millions unless stated, at each fiscal year end. Net debt to EBITDA is debt minus cash, divided by operating income before depreciation and amortization: roughly how many years of those earnings the net debt equals. Debt to equity is debt as a multiple of shareholders' equity. Interest coverage is operating income divided by interest expense. The current ratio is current assets over current liabilities; the quick ratio leaves out inventory.

Insider trades

Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, 3 insiders bought $18.0 million of MSC Industrial Direct shares on the open market, and 1 insider sold $156,294.

Date	Insider	Trade	Shares	Price	Value	Filing
Oct 23, 2026	Reuben E SloneDirector	Bought	433	$115.77	$50,129	Form 4
Feb 2, 2026	Rudina SeseriDirector	Sold	1,800	$86.83	$156,294	Form 4
Nov 18, 2025	Mitchell JacobsonDirector, 10% owner	Bought	22,870	$84.96	$1.9 million	Form 4
Nov 13, 2025	Philip PellerDirector	Bought	6,666	$90.14	$600,873	Form 4
Nov 3, 2025	Mitchell JacobsonDirector, 10% owner	Bought	51,954	$84.43	$4.4 million	Form 4
Oct 31, 2025	Mitchell JacobsonDirector, 10% owner	Bought	34,073	$84.76	$2.9 million	Form 4
Oct 30, 2025	Mitchell JacobsonDirector, 10% owner	Bought	95,779	$84.92	$8.1 million	Form 4

Open-market purchases and sales by officers, directors and 10% owners, from their Form 4 filings with the SEC: one row per person, day and filing, at the day's average price. Grants, option exercises and shares withheld for tax aren't counted. Insiders buy and sell for many reasons, such as taxes, spreading their savings or a plan set up months earlier, so a trade on its own says little about where a company is heading. For information only, not investment advice. Insider trades at all companies

Piotroski F-score

The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.

Test	FY24	FY25	FY26
Net income is positive	Pass	Pass	Pass
Cash from operations is positive	Pass	Pass	Pass
Return on assets rose	Fail	Fail	Pass
Cash from operations exceeds net income	Pass	Pass	Pass
Debt fell relative to assets	Fail	Pass	Pass
Current ratio rose	Fail	Fail	Pass
Share count didn't rise	Fail	Pass	Fail
Gross margin rose	Pass	Fail	Pass
Revenue rose relative to assets	Pass	Pass	Pass
F-score	5 of 9	6 of 9	8 of 9
Accruals ratio	−6.1%	−5.5%	−3.4%

The accruals ratio is net income minus cash from operations, over average total assets.

Compare

Put MSC Industrial Direct side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.

Similar companies

Company	Year	Revenue growth	Operating margin	Free cash flow margin	Return on capital	Net debt to EBITDA	F-score	Compare
MSC Industrial Direct	FY26	6.4%	8.0%	5.6%	13.2%	1.0x	8
Applied Industrial Technologies	FY26	8.8%	11.1%	9.3%	20.8%	0.2x	7	Compare
Watsco	FY25	−5.0%	9.9%	7.4%	20.1%	−0.3x	6	Compare
Core & Main	FY25	2.8%	9.4%	7.9%	13.7%	2.1x	7	Compare
Fastenal	FY25	8.7%	20.2%	12.8%	34.2%	−0.1x	7	Compare

Each company's latest fiscal year. Fiscal years end in different months, so the periods don't line up exactly. Free cash flow margin is free cash flow as a share of revenue. Net debt to EBITDA is explained under the balance sheet, and the F-score above.

10 years of figures

Fiscal year	FY17	FY18	FY19	FY20	FY21	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25	FY26
Income statement
Revenue	2,888	3,204	3,364	3,192	3,243	3,692	4,009	3,821	3,770	4,010
Revenue growth	0.8%	10.9%	5.0%	−5.1%	1.6%	13.8%	8.6%	−4.7%	−1.4%	6.4%
Gross profit	1,286	1,393	1,432	1,343	1,334	1,558	1,643	1,573	1,536	1,639
Research and development	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Operating income	379	421	400	351	302	469	484	390	302	321
Net income	231	329	289	251	217	340	343	259	199	223
Diluted EPS (US$)	4.05	5.80	5.20	4.51	3.87	6.06	6.11	4.58	3.57	3.98
Diluted shares (millions)	57	57	56	56	56	56	56	56	56	56
Cash flow
Cash from operations	247	340	328	397	224	246	700	411	334	306
Capital expenditure	46	45	52	47	54	61	92	99	93	81
Free cash flow	200	295	277	350	171	185	607	311	241	225
Dividends paid	102	125	146	166	167	167	177	187	190	194
Share buybacks	49	82	85	3	71	27	96	188	39	14
Acquisitions	42	87	12	2	22	58	20	24	1	0
Stock-based compensation	14	15	16	17	18	19	19	19	13	19
Balance sheet at fiscal year end
Cash and short-term investments	16	46	32	125	40	44	50	30	56	65
Debt incl. finance leases	533	535	442	619	786	795	454	509	486	477
Total assets	2,099	2,289	2,311	2,382	2,462	2,729	2,544	2,462	2,462	2,509
Total liabilities	874	902	827	1,062	1,300	1,367	1,052	1,061	1,066	1,083
Shareholders' equity	1,225	1,387	1,478	1,315	1,151	1,350	1,479	1,392	1,388	1,426
Margins and ratios
Gross margin	44.5%	43.5%	42.6%	42.1%	41.1%	42.2%	41.0%	41.2%	40.8%	40.9%
Operating margin	13.1%	13.1%	11.9%	11.0%	9.3%	12.7%	12.1%	10.2%	8.0%	8.0%
Net margin	8.0%	10.3%	8.6%	7.9%	6.7%	9.2%	8.6%	6.8%	5.3%	5.5%
Free cash flow margin	6.9%	9.2%	8.2%	11.0%	5.3%	5.0%	15.1%	8.2%	6.4%	5.6%
Return on capital	14.0%	18.8%	16.0%	14.2%	12.2%	17.6%	18.1%	15.4%	12.2%	13.2%
Return on equity	19.9%	25.2%	20.2%	18.0%	17.6%	27.2%	24.3%	18.0%	14.3%	15.8%
Return on assets	11.1%	15.0%	12.6%	10.7%	8.9%	13.1%	13.0%	10.3%	8.1%	9.0%
Net debt to EBITDA	1.2x	1.0x	0.9x	1.2x	2.0x	1.4x	0.7x	1.0x	1.1x	1.0x

US$ millions unless stated. Where a later 10-K restated a year, the latest filed figure is shown. Download all figures (CSV, US$ millions)

Source: MSC Industrial Direct's Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR. For information only, not investment advice. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with MSC Industrial Direct.