MSC can be a good bet as analysts believe that stock is at the buy point.

MSC Industrial (MSM)on Wednesday soared as high as 4% to $82.24 before closing the session at $80.17. The analyst’s sentiment is high for the stock as it trades below its all-time high and has upside potential.

Recently, the company made a major announcement regarding the improvement of the in-person and virtual support provided to customers. MSC has decided to move its branch office network to virtual customer care hubs—the pandemic impact affects. The online ecosystem of MSC will bring major changes for the company, especially in financial terms.

What’s Next?

MSC Industrial (MSM) is a premier distributor of Metalworking and Maintenance, Repair, and Operations products service providers across North America. The company has decided to move things remotely. The COVID-19 pandemic has dismantled the entire in-office working situation. Moreover, the restrictions have created friction for businesses to continue operations at full power—cramping the financial situation of companies.

MSC has announced to turn things into virtual support providing its customers with the same level of services. The company has decided to close 73 branch offices—closed temporarily due to the pandemic restrictions. The sales associates will work remotely and contact the customers in-person through virtual customer care hubs.

Through this digital movement plan, the company expects to achieve 3-year targets of accelerating market share capture and improving ROIC. The company has provided a savings outlook for the next two years. MSC expects to make savings between $7 million to $9 million in fiscal 2021. While cut annual cost savings between $15 million to $18 million in fiscal 2022.

This step has taken MSC one step further in its Mission Critical program. The company believes that this mission will speed up its market share capture to 400 basis points beyond the Industrial Production Index. And, enhance the ROIC into the high teens by fiscal 2023.

The CEO of MSC Industrial, Erik Gershwind said that they will be reducing their operating expenses by $90 million to $100 million to fulfill their commitments. Moreover, it would allow freeing up capital that would support MSC’s investment plans for the next five years.

Conclusion

At the moment, MSC Industrial has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 19.95. In comparison with the PE of the S&P 500, which is around 27.35. For the long-term PE trend, MSC’s current PE level places it below its midpoint over the past five years. The current level is notably below the highs for MSM stock, reflecting a good entry point. Furthermore, MSC Industrial’s profit is anticipated to increase up to 41% over the next few years—pointing towards the perfect direction in the long-term. 

Another major advantage is its dividend. Recently, MSC Industrial (MSM) delivered a dividend of $0.75—a dividend yield of 3.54%—which was to be paid on Jan. 26, 2021.