MSC Industrial Direct Co Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Modestly Overvalued
- By GF Value
The stock of MSC Industrial Direct Co (NYSE:MSM, 30-year Financials) appears to be modestly overvalued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $92.69 per share and the market cap of $5.2 billion, MSC Industrial Direct Co stock shows every sign of being modestly overvalued. GF Value for MSC Industrial Direct Co is shown in the chart below.
Because MSC Industrial Direct Co is relatively overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be lower than its business growth, which averaged 4.2% over the past three years and is estimated to grow 0.09% annually over the next three to five years.
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Companies with poor financial strength offer investors a high risk of permanent capital loss. To avoid permanent capital loss, an investor must do their research and review a company's financial strength before deciding to purchase shares. Both the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage of a company are a great way to to understand its financial strength. MSC Industrial Direct Co has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.10, which which ranks worse than 87% of the companies in Industrial Distribution industry. The overall financial strength of MSC Industrial Direct Co is 6 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of MSC Industrial Direct Co is fair. This is the debt and cash of MSC Industrial Direct Co over the past years:
It poses less risk to invest in profitable companies, especially those that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. A company with high profit margins is also typically a safer investment than one with low profit margins. MSC Industrial Direct Co has been profitable 10 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $3.1 billion and earnings of $4.03 a share. Its operating margin is 10.86%, which ranks better than 88% of the companies in Industrial Distribution industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks the profitability of MSC Industrial Direct Co at 7 out of 10, which indicates fair profitability. This is the revenue and net income of MSC Industrial Direct Co over the past years:
One of the most important factors in the valuation of a company is growth. Long-term stock performance is closely correlated with growth according to GuruFocus research. Companies that grow faster create more value for shareholders, especially if that growth is profitable. The average annual revenue growth of MSC Industrial Direct Co is 4.2%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Industrial Distribution industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth is -1%, which ranks worse than 70% of the companies in Industrial Distribution industry.
One can also evaluate a company's profitability by comparing its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the return on invested capital exceeds the weighted average cost of capital, the company is likely creating value for its shareholders. During the past 12 months, MSC Industrial Direct Co's ROIC is 12.88 while its WACC came in at 7.69. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of MSC Industrial Direct Co is shown below:
Overall, MSC Industrial Direct Co (NYSE:MSM, 30-year Financials) stock is estimated to be modestly overvalued. The company's financial condition is fair and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks worse than 70% of the companies in Industrial Distribution industry. To learn more about MSC Industrial Direct Co stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.
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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
