MSM

Here is how MSC Industrial (MSM) and NN Inc. (NNBR) have performed compared to their sector so far this year.

HIPO, CAKE and MSM made it to the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) momentum stocks list on October 26th, 2026.

MSLOY, FANUY, GPRE, HIPO and MSM have been added to the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) List on October 26th, 2026.

MSM, MSLOY and FANUY made it to the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) income stocks list on October 26th, 2026.

Fastenal, Grainger, and MSC Industrial all profit from the same factory supply chain, but the dividend each pays comes with a very different tradeoff between yield, safety, and growth potential.

MSC Industrial Direct NYSE: MSM reported record fiscal fourth-quarter sales and higher adjusted operating margin as pricing, improving volumes and cost-control efforts supported results. The company also outlined a fiscal 2027 first-quarter outlook calling for continued sales growth, while acknowledging ongoing inflation in materials, freight and employee-related expenses.

The headline numbers for MSC Industrial (MSM) give insight into how the company performed in the quarter ended August 2026, but it may be worthwhile to compare some of its key metrics to Wall Street estimates and the year-ago actuals.

MSC Industrial (MSM) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.45 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.39 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.09 per share a year ago.

FISCAL 2026 Q4 HIGHLIGHTS Net sales of $1,079.2 million increased 10.3% YoY (8.6% on an average daily sales basis) Operating income of $72.8 million, or $117.8 million on an adjusted basis1 Operating margin of 6.7%, or 10.9% on an adjusted basis1 Diluted EPS of $0.85 vs. $1.01 in the prior fiscal year quarter Adjusted diluted EPS of $1.45 vs.

Three industrial companies just raised their dividends within days of each other, even as their own markets softened, and the differences in how safely each one can keep doing it reveal a lot about where income investors should be looking.