Atkore International Group (NYSE: ATKR) and MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) are both industrial products companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent recommendations for Atkore International Group and MSC Industrial Direct, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Atkore International Group | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.00 |
| MSC Industrial Direct | 1 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 2.29 |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
99.3% of Atkore International Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.4% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are owned by institutional investors. 51.0% of Atkore International Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 31.4% of MSC Industrial Direct shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Risk and Volatility
Atkore International Group has a beta of 1.42, indicating that its share price is 42% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MSC Industrial Direct has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Dividends
MSC Industrial Direct pays an annual dividend of $2.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Atkore International Group does not pay a dividend. MSC Industrial Direct pays out 56.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Atkore International Group has raised its dividend for 7 consecutive years.
Profitability
This table compares Atkore International Group and MSC Industrial Direct’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Atkore International Group | 5.97% | 26.99% | 8.34% |
| MSC Industrial Direct | 7.97% | 19.37% | 11.40% |
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Atkore International Group and MSC Industrial Direct’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Atkore International Group | $1.50 billion | 0.82 | $84.63 million | $1.41 | 13.77 |
| MSC Industrial Direct | $2.89 billion | 1.75 | $231.43 million | $4.14 | 21.62 |
MSC Industrial Direct has higher revenue and earnings than Atkore International Group. Atkore International Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than MSC Industrial Direct, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
MSC Industrial Direct beats Atkore International Group on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Atkore International Group
Atkore International Group Inc. is a manufacturer of electrical raceway products. The Company’s products are primarily offered for non-residential construction and renovation markets, and mechanical products and solutions (MP&S) for the construction and industrial markets. The Company operates in two segments: Electrical Raceway and MP&S. Through the electrical raceway segment, it manufactures products that deploy, isolate and protect a structure’s electrical circuitry from the original power source to the final outlet. The Company’s electrical raceway segment products include electrical conduit, armored cable, cable trays, mounting systems and fittings. Through the MP&S segment, it provides products and services that frame, support and secure component parts in a range of structures, equipment and systems in electrical, industrial and construction applications. The Company’s MP&S segment products include metal framing products and in-line galvanized mechanical tube.
About MSC Industrial Direct
MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. is a North American distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services. The Company’s range of MRO products include cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, metalworking products, fasteners, flat stock, raw materials, abrasives, machinery hand and power tools, safety and janitorial supplies, plumbing supplies, materials handling products, power transmission components and electrical supplies. The Company serves a range of customers throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, from individual machine shops, to manufacturing companies, to government agencies, such as the General Services Administration and the Department of Defense. The Company also serves durable and non-durable goods manufacturing, education and healthcare markets, among others. As of September 3, 2016, the Company had operated a network of 12 customer fulfillment centers.
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