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Side-by-side financial comparison of KELLY SERVICES INC (KELYA) and MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC (MSM). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
KELLY SERVICES INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $965.7M, roughly 1.2× MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC). On growth, MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (4.0% vs -3.3%). KELLY SERVICES INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($13.0M vs $7.4M). Over the past eight quarters, KELLY SERVICES INC's revenue compounded faster (-3.1% CAGR vs -3.4%).
Kelly Services, Inc. is an American multinational office staffing company. The company places employees at all levels in various sectors including financial services, information technology, and law. Also, its professional services include human resource and management consulting, outsourcing, recruitment, career transition, and vendor management. Kelly Services was founded by William Russell Kelly in 1946 and is headquartered in Troy, Michigan.
MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc (MSC), through its subsidiaries, primarily MSC Industrial Supply Co., is one of the largest industrial equipment distributors in the United States, distributing more than 1.5 million metalworking and other industrial products.
KELYA vs MSM — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2024 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.2B | $965.7M |
| Net Profit | — | $51.8M |
| Gross Margin | 20.3% | 40.7% |
| Operating Margin | -4.8% | 7.9% |
| Net Margin | — | 5.4% |
| Revenue YoY | -3.3% | 4.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | 11.1% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.86 | $0.93 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | — | $965.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $978.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $971.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.2B | $928.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.0B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.1B | $979.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.0B | $935.3M | ||
| Q4 23 | $1.1B | $954.0M |
| Q4 25 | — | $51.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $56.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $56.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $46.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $800.0K | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.6M | $71.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $25.8M | $61.8M | ||
| Q4 23 | $6.6M | $69.3M |
| Q4 25 | — | 40.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 40.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 41.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 20.3% | 40.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 21.4% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 20.2% | 40.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | 19.7% | 41.5% | ||
| Q4 23 | 20.4% | 41.2% |
| Q4 25 | — | 7.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 8.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 8.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | -4.8% | 7.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.3% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.2% | 10.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | 2.6% | 9.7% | ||
| Q4 23 | 0.0% | 10.6% |
| Q4 25 | — | 5.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 5.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 5.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 5.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.1% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.4% | 7.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | 2.5% | 6.6% | ||
| Q4 23 | 0.6% | 7.3% |
| Q4 25 | — | $0.93 | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $1.02 | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $1.02 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-0.86 | $0.83 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.02 | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.12 | $1.27 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.70 | $1.10 | ||
| Q4 23 | $0.18 | $1.22 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $39.0M | $40.3M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $239.4M | $214.1M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.2B | $1.4B |
| Total Assets | $2.6B | $2.5B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.19× | 0.16× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | — | $40.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $56.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $71.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $39.0M | $57.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $32.8M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $38.2M | $25.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $200.7M | $22.2M | ||
| Q4 23 | $117.2M | $25.8M |
| Q4 25 | — | $214.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $168.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $285.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $239.4M | $289.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $228.2M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $210.4M | $299.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $294.5M | ||
| Q4 23 | — | $294.4M |
| Q4 25 | — | $1.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $1.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $1.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.2B | $1.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.3B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.3B | $1.4B | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.3B | $1.4B | ||
| Q4 23 | $1.2B | $1.4B |
| Q4 25 | — | $2.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $2.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $2.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.6B | $2.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.7B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.6B | $2.5B | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.4B | $2.5B | ||
| Q4 23 | $2.5B | $2.5B |
| Q4 25 | — | 0.16× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.12× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.21× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.19× | 0.21× | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.18× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.16× | 0.21× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 0.21× | ||
| Q4 23 | — | 0.21× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $15.0M | $29.4M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $13.0M | $7.4M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.2% | 2.3% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 0.57× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $15.8M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | — | $29.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $151.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $15.0M | $101.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-20.3M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $57.7M | $143.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-25.5M | $78.7M | ||
| Q4 23 | $10.0M | $81.2M |
| Q4 25 | — | $7.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $100.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $13.0M | $81.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-22.7M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $54.7M | $114.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-29.2M | $53.4M | ||
| Q4 23 | $6.9M | $62.7M |
| Q4 25 | — | 0.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 10.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.1% | 8.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | -2.2% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.2% | 11.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | -2.8% | 5.7% | ||
| Q4 23 | 0.6% | 6.6% |
| Q4 25 | — | 2.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 5.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.2% | 2.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.2% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.3% | 3.0% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.4% | 2.7% | ||
| Q4 23 | 0.3% | 1.9% |
| Q4 25 | — | 0.57× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 2.67× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 2.18× | ||
| Q3 24 | -25.38× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 12.54× | 2.00× | ||
| Q1 24 | -0.99× | 1.27× | ||
| Q4 23 | 1.52× | 1.17× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
KELYA
| Science Engineering Technology | $295.8M | 25% |
| Education | $293.1M | 25% |
| Staffing Services | $237.7M | 20% |
| Other | $138.8M | 12% |
| Talent Solutions | $120.5M | 10% |
| Outcome Based Services | $103.6M | 9% |
| Permanent Placement | $1.6M | 0% |
MSM
Segment breakdown not available.
