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Side-by-side financial comparison of MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC (MSM) and SONOCO PRODUCTS CO (SON). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
SONOCO PRODUCTS CO is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.7B vs $965.7M, roughly 1.7× MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC). MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC runs the higher net margin — 5.4% vs 4.1%, a 1.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (4.0% vs -1.9%). MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($7.4M vs $-428.3B). Over the past eight quarters, SONOCO PRODUCTS CO's revenue compounded faster (1.2% CAGR vs -3.4%).
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.
Sonoco Products Company is an American provider of diversified consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and packaging supply chain services and the world's largest producer of composite cans, tubes, and cores. The company was founded in 1889 as Southern Novelty Company with annualized net sales of approximately $7.3 billion. Sonoco has 19,900 employees in more than 335 operations in 33 countries, serving more than 85 nations. The company is headquartered in Hartsville, S...
MSM vs SON — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $965.7M | $1.7B |
| Net Profit | $51.8M | $68.0M |
| Gross Margin | 40.7% | 20.6% |
| Operating Margin | 7.9% | 7.6% |
| Net Margin | 5.4% | 4.1% |
| Revenue YoY | 4.0% | -1.9% |
| Net Profit YoY | 11.1% | 25.9% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.93 | $0.68 |
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.
| Q1 26 | — | $1.7B | ||
| Q4 25 | $965.7M | $1.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $978.2M | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $971.1M | $1.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $928.5M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $979.4M | $1.6B |
| Q1 26 | — | $68.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $51.8M | $332.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $56.5M | $122.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $56.8M | $493.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $54.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $46.6M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $50.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $71.7M | $90.8M |
| Q1 26 | — | 20.6% | ||
| Q4 25 | 40.7% | 19.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 40.4% | 21.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 41.0% | 21.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 20.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 40.7% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 21.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 40.9% | 22.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | 7.6% | ||
| Q4 25 | 7.9% | 29.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.6% | 9.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.5% | 9.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 7.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.8% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 7.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.9% | 8.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | 4.1% | ||
| Q4 25 | 5.4% | 18.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.8% | 5.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.9% | 25.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 3.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.0% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 3.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 7.3% | 5.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | $0.68 | ||
| Q4 25 | $0.93 | $3.33 | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.02 | $1.23 | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.02 | $4.96 | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $0.55 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.83 | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $0.51 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.27 | $0.92 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $40.3M | $224.5M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $214.1M | $3.5B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.4B | $3.6B |
| Total Assets | $2.5B | $11.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.16× | 0.97× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $224.5M | ||
| Q4 25 | $40.3M | $378.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $56.2M | $244.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $71.7M | $329.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $181.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $57.3M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $1.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $25.9M | $140.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | $3.5B | ||
| Q4 25 | $214.1M | $3.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $168.8M | $3.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $285.0M | $5.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $5.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $289.9M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $4.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $299.8M | $2.5B |
| Q1 26 | — | $3.6B | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.4B | $3.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.4B | $3.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.4B | $3.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $2.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.4B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $2.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.4B | $2.4B |
| Q1 26 | — | $11.1B | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.5B | $11.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.5B | $11.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.5B | $12.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $12.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.5B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $9.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.5B | $7.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | 0.97× | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.16× | 1.05× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.12× | 1.15× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.21× | 1.54× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 2.03× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.21× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 1.74× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.21× | 1.04× |
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 | $29.4M | — |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $7.4M | $-428.3B |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 0.8% | -25547.4% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 2.3% | 3600.5% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 0.57× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $-427.6B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $29.4M | $412.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $291.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $151.6M | $193.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $-208.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $101.9M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $162.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $143.5M | $109.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $-428.3B | ||
| Q4 25 | $7.4M | $322.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $225.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $100.7M | $98.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $-300.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $81.7M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $70.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $114.0M | $16.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | -25547.4% | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.8% | 18.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 10.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 10.4% | 5.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | -17.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.8% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 4.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 11.6% | 1.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | 3600.5% | ||
| Q4 25 | 2.3% | 5.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 3.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.2% | 5.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 5.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.2% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 5.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.0% | 5.7% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.57× | 1.24× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 2.37× | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.67× | 0.39× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | -3.82× | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.18× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 3.18× | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.00× | 1.20× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
MSM
Segment breakdown not available.
SON
| Consumer Packaging | $1.1B | 65% |
| Industrial Paper Packaging | $587.5M | 35% |
| All Other | $55.1M | 3% |
