MSM (MSC Industrial Direct Co) Owner Earnings per Share (TTM): 3.37 (As of May. 2026) — 83% Below Median

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MSM MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc MSM
81 GF Score
Price $123.82
GF Value $90.99
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 8 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is MSC Industrial Direct Co Owner Earnings per Share (TTM)?

MSC Industrial Direct Co MSM +2.09% 81 Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 3.37 as of May. 2026, which is 83% below its 10-year median of 19.49. GuruFocus rates MSM with a GF Score™ of 81/100 and a GF Value™ of $90.99 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 8 warning signs investors should review. Among 98 Industrial Distribution companies, MSC Industrial Direct Co ranks worse than 83.67% on this metric.

In 1986 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter, Warren Buffett defined owner earnings as follows:

"These represent (a) reported earnings plus (b) depreciation, depletion, amortization, and certain other non-cash charges...less (c) the average annual amount of capitalized expenditures for plant and equipment, etc. that the business requires to fully maintain its long-term competitive position and its unit volume (If the business requires additional working capital to maintain its competitive position and unit volume, the increment also should be included in (c))...Our owner-earnings equation does not yield the deceptively precise figures provided by GAAP, since (c) must be a guess - and one sometimes very difficult to make. Despite this problem, we consider the owner earnings figure, not the GAAP figure, to be the relevant item for valuation purposes - both for investors in buying stocks and for managers in buying entire businesses...All of this points up the absurdity of the 'cash flow' numbers that are often set forth in Wall Street reports. These numbers routinely include (a) plus (b) - but do not subtract (c)."

MSC Industrial Direct Co's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was $3.37. It's Price-to-Owner-Earnings ratio for today is 36.74.


The historical rank and industry rank for MSC Industrial Direct Co's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) or its related term are showing as below:

MSM' s Price-to-Owner-Earnings Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 8.57   Med: 19.49   Max: 81.8
Current: 36.79


During the past 13 years, the highest Price-to-Owner-Earnings ratio of MSC Industrial Direct Co was 81.80. The lowest was 8.57. And the median was 19.49.


MSM's Price-to-Owner-Earnings is ranked worse than
83.67% of 98 companies
in the Industrial Distribution industry
Industry Median: 14.485 vs MSM: 36.79

MSC Industrial Direct Co's Earnings per Share (Diluted) for the three months ended in May. 2026 was $1.44. Its Earnings per Share (Diluted) for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was $4.14. It's PE Ratio (TTM) ratio for today is 29.91.

MSC Industrial Direct Co's EPS without NRI for the three months ended in May. 2026 was $1.43. Its EPS without NRI for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was $4.33. It's PE Ratio without NRI ratio for today is 28.60.


Be Aware

Assumption: Companies usually do not report maintenance capital expenditures and growth capital expenditures separately. Here we use estimated numbers and average them over 5 years. The method to estimate maintenance capital expenditures can be found in above part 4.

Note: GuruFocus' Change In Working Capital is provided by Morningstar. It is calculated by adding the items under "Change in operating assets and liabilities" (may refer to a different name for different company) section in Cash Flow Statement from original financial report. And it includes non-current parts of assets and liabilities.


MSC Industrial Direct Co Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Related Terms


MSC Industrial Direct Co Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for MSC Industrial Direct Co's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

MSC Industrial Direct Co Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Chart

MSC Industrial Direct Co Annual Data
Trend Aug16 Aug17 Aug18 Aug19 Aug20 Aug21 Aug22 Aug23 Aug24 Aug25
Owner Earnings per Share (TTM)
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 1.87 2.85 10.52 5.56 4.06

MSC Industrial Direct Co Quarterly Data
Aug21 Nov21 Feb22 May22 Aug22 Nov22 Feb23 May23 Aug23 Nov23 Feb24 May24 Aug24 Nov24 Feb25 May25 Aug25 Nov25 Feb26 May26
Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 4.37 4.06 2.73 3.37 3.37

MSM vs POOL, CNM, REZI: Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Comparison

For the Industrial Distribution subindustry, MSC Industrial Direct Co's Price-to-Owner-Earnings, along with its competitors' market caps and Price-to-Owner-Earnings data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


MSC Industrial Direct Co Price-to-Owner-Earnings vs Industrial Distribution Industry

For the Industrial Distribution industry and Industrials sector, MSC Industrial Direct Co's Price-to-Owner-Earnings distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where MSC Industrial Direct Co's Price-to-Owner-Earnings falls into.


MSM
81GF Score
MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc MSM
Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

MSC Industrial Direct Co Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Calculation

In 1986 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter, Warren Buffett defined owner earnings as follows:

"These represent (a) reported earnings plus (b) depreciation, depletion, amortization, and certain other non-cash charges...less (c) the average annual amount of capitalized expenditures for plant and equipment, etc. that the business requires to fully maintain its long-term competitive position and its unit volume. (If the business requires additional working capital to maintain its competitive position and unit volume, the increment also should be included in (c))...Our owner-earnings equation does not yield the deceptively precise figures provided by GAAP, since (c) must be a guess - and one sometimes very difficult to make. Despite this problem, we consider the owner earnings figure, not the GAAP figure, to be the relevant item for valuation purposes - both for investors in buying stocks and for managers in buying entire businesses...All of this points up the absurdity of the 'cash flow' numbers that are often set forth in Wall Street reports. These numbers routinely include (a) plus (b) - but do not subtract (c)."

To make it simple, then you will have:

Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) = (Net Income + Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization + Change In Deferred Tax - 5Y Average of Maintenance Capital Expenditure + Change In Working Capital) / Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average)

MSC Industrial Direct Co's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Calculation:

TTM / Last Quarter Average of Last 20 Quarters
Net Income 231
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization 100
Change In Deferred Tax 0
5Y Average of Maintenance Capital Expenditure 74
Change In Working Capital -69
Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) 56

1. Start with "Net Income" from income statement. MSC Industrial Direct Co's Net Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was $231 Mil.

2. "Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization" is from cashflow statement. MSC Industrial Direct Co's Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was $100 Mil. This needs to be added back because company does not actually need to pay cash for it. It is a non-cash item.

3. Other non-cash charges usually include "Stock Based Compensation" and "Change In Deferred Tax":
However, to be conservative, GuruFocus will not add Stock Based Compensation back to net income. MSC Industrial Direct Co's Change In Deferred Tax for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was $0 Mil.

4. Average maintenance capital expenditure over a business/industry cycle: 5-Year Average Maintenance Capital Expenditure = $74 Mil

It is usually best to take a long-term average of maintenance capital expenditure. Ideally this would be as long as 10 years and include at least one economic downturn. However, since many companies do not have as long as 10-year history, here GuruFocus uses the latest 5 years data to do the calculation. To smooth out unusual years but reflect recent developments, we take an average of the 5 year maintenance capital expenditure.

The following shows how to get maintenance capital expenditure.

First, calculate the revenue change regarding to the previous quarter. If the revenue decreased from the previous quarter, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
Second, if the revenue increased from the previous quarter, then calculate the percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue.
Growth Capital Expenditure = Percentage of Property, Plant and Equipment as of corresponding Revenue * Revenue Increase
Third, calculate Capital Expenditure (positive) - Growth Capital Expenditure.
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - Growth Capital Expenditure] was negative, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - Growth Capital Expenditure] was positive, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive) - Growth Capital Expenditure.
Fourth, get the average of the 5 years maintenance capital expenditure.

MSC Industrial Direct Co's 5-Year Average Maintenance Capital Expenditure = $74 Mil

5. "Change In Working Capital" is from cashflow statement. MSC Industrial Direct Co's Change In Working Capital for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was $-69 Mil.
Note: GuruFocus' Change in Working Capital is provided by Morningstar. It is calculated by adding the items under "Change in operating assets and liabilities" (may refer to a different name for different company) section in Cash Flow Statement from original financial report. And sometimes it includes non-current parts of assets and liabilities.

6. MSC Industrial Direct Co's Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) for the months ended in May. 2026 was 55.990 Mil.

MSC Industrial Direct Co's Onwer Earnings Per Share for May. 2026 is calculated as:

Owner Earnings per Share (TTM)
=( Net Income+Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization+Change In Deferred Tax
=( 231.196 +100.229+0
-5Y Avg of Maintenance CAPEX+Change In Working Capital )/Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average)
-74.315645431867+-68.659)/55.990
=3.37

Price-to-Owner-Earnings=Current Price/Owner Earnings per Share (TTM)
=123.82/3.37
=36.74

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

What does a Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) of 3.37 mean?
MSC Industrial Direct Co (MSM) has a Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) of 3.37 as of May. 2026. Warren Buffett defined owner earnings as reported earnings plus depreciation less average maintenance capital expenditure. View historical data on MSC Industrial Direct Co. This is 83% below median its historical median of 19.49. Over the past decade, MSC Industrial Direct Co's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) has ranged from 8.57 to 81.80. According to the industry distribution chart, MSC Industrial Direct Co ranks #82 out of 98 companies in the Industrial Distribution industry, placing it in the top 83.7%.
Is MSC Industrial Direct Co's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) too high?
MSC Industrial Direct Co's current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) of 3.37 is 83% below median its 10-year median of 19.49. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 8.57 to a high of 81.80. The Industrial Distribution industry median Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 14.49. MSC Industrial Direct Co's value of 3.37 is 76.7% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, MSC Industrial Direct Co ranks #82 out of 98 companies in the Industrial Distribution industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, MSC Industrial Direct Co has a GF Score™ of 81/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does MSC Industrial Direct Co's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) compare to POOL and CNM?
According to the Industrial Distribution industry distribution chart, MSC Industrial Direct Co ranks #82 out of 98 companies for Owner Earnings per Share (TTM). This places MSC Industrial Direct Co in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 14.49. MSC Industrial Direct Co's value of 3.37 is 76.7% below this benchmark. Historically, MSC Industrial Direct Co's own Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) has ranged from 8.57 to 81.80 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 19.49 vs. the industry median of 14.49, MSC Industrial Direct Co has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) for an Industrial Distribution company?
The median Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) among Industrial Distribution companies is 14.49, based on 98 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. MSC Industrial Direct Co's current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) of 3.37 is 76.7% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) mean?
A high Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Warren Buffett defined owner earnings as reported earnings plus depreciation less average maintenance capital expenditure. View historical data on MSC Industrial Direct Co. For the Industrial Distribution industry, the median Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 14.49 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. MSC Industrial Direct Co's current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 3.37, which is 83% below median its own 10-year median of 19.49. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is MSC Industrial Direct Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, MSC Industrial Direct Co (MSM) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $90.99, compared to a current price of $123.82 — trading 36.1% above its estimated fair value. The current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 3.37, which is 83% below median its 10-year median of 19.49 and 76.7% below the Industrial Distribution industry median of 14.49. MSC Industrial Direct Co's overall GF Score™ is 81/100 with 8 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) calculated?
Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is calculated from a company's financial statements. For MSC Industrial Direct Co (MSM), the current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 3.37 as of May. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is MSC Industrial Direct Co (MSM) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, MSC Industrial Direct Co stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of $123.82 is trading 36.1% above its estimated GF Value™ of $90.99. GuruFocus considers MSC Industrial Direct Co to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for MSM:

  • Owner Earnings per Share (TTM): 3.37 (83% below median its 10-year median of 19.49)
  • GF Value™: $90.99 vs. price of $123.82 (36.1% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 81/100 with 8 warning signs
  • Industry Position: 76.7% below the Industrial Distribution median (#82 of 98)

No single metric tells the full story. See the MSM stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


MSC Industrial Direct Co Business Description

Other Exchanges 98M:Germany
Address 515 Broadhollow Road, Suite 1000, Melville, NY, USA, 11747
Founded in 1941, MSC Industrial Direct originally manufactured and sold cutting tools to metalworking shops in New York. Through a series of acquisitions and organic expansions, MSC has grown into an industrial distribution powerhouse with a focus on specialized metalworking products and services. The firm also distributes a wide breadth of maintenance, repair, and operations supplies. MSC primarily operates in North America, where it derives over 95% of its revenue.
81GF Score

Get the complete analysis for MSM

Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$123.82
Price
$90.99
GF Value