DNOW vs MSC Industrial Direct
MSC Industrial Direct reported revenue of $4.0 billion in fiscal 2026, 1.4 times DNOW's $2.8 billion in fiscal 2025. DNOW's revenue grew 18.8% in its latest year, and MSC Industrial Direct's grew 6.4%. DNOW had an operating margin of -3.3%, against 8.0% at MSC Industrial Direct. Free cash flow was $134 million at DNOW and $225 million at MSC Industrial Direct. Their fiscal years end in different months (December 31 and August 29), so the periods don't line up exactly.
Side by side
| DNOW | MSC Industrial Direct | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2025, Dec 31, 2025 | FY2026, Aug 29, 2026 |
| Revenue | $2.8B | $4.0B |
| Revenue growth | 18.8% | 6.4% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | 11.7% | 4.3% |
| Gross margin | 16.9% | 40.9% |
| Operating margin | −3.3% | 8.0% |
| Net margin | −3.2% | 5.5% |
| Free cash flow | $134M | $225M |
| Free cash flow margin | 4.8% | 5.6% |
| Return on capital | −4.3% | 13.2% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | — | 1.0x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $37M | $208M |
| Change in diluted share count | 10.0% | 0.2% |
| Last close | $13.27 | $113.27 |
| P/E at the last close | — | 28.5× |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | sold $7.5 million | bought $31.6 million, sold $156,294 |
| Piotroski F-score | 4 of 9 | 8 of 9 |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
DNOWMSC Industrial Direct
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
DNOWMSC Industrial Direct
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
DNOWMSC Industrial Direct
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the DNOW and MSC Industrial Direct pages.