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Side-by-side financial comparison of MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC (MSM) and E.W. SCRIPPS Co (SSP). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($965.7M vs $560.3M, roughly 1.7× E.W. SCRIPPS Co). MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC runs the higher net margin — 5.4% vs -5.1%, a 10.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (4.0% vs -23.1%). E.W. SCRIPPS Co produced more free cash flow last quarter ($31.2M vs $7.4M). Over the past eight quarters, E.W. SCRIPPS Co's revenue compounded faster (-0.1% 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.
The E. W. Scripps Company, also known as Scripps, is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is headquartered at the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way", which is symbolized by the media empire's longtime lighthouse logo.
MSM vs SSP — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $965.7M | $560.3M |
| Net Profit | $51.8M | $-28.5M |
| Gross Margin | 40.7% | — |
| Operating Margin | 7.9% | 7.5% |
| Net Margin | 5.4% | -5.1% |
| Revenue YoY | 4.0% | -23.1% |
| Net Profit YoY | 11.1% | -129.9% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.93 | $-0.51 |
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 | $560.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $978.2M | $525.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $971.1M | $540.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $524.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $928.5M | $728.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $646.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $979.4M | $573.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $935.3M | $561.5M |
| Q4 25 | $51.8M | $-28.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $56.5M | $-33.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $56.8M | $-36.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $-3.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $46.6M | $95.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $47.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $71.7M | $1.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $61.8M | $1.6M |
| Q4 25 | 40.7% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 40.4% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 41.0% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 40.7% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 40.9% | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 41.5% | — |
| Q4 25 | 7.9% | 7.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.6% | 7.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 8.5% | 14.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 5.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.8% | 26.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 18.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.9% | 9.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | 9.7% | 7.7% |
| Q4 25 | 5.4% | -5.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.8% | -6.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.9% | -6.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | -0.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.0% | 13.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 7.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 7.3% | 0.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 6.6% | 0.3% |
| Q4 25 | $0.93 | $-0.51 | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.02 | $-0.55 | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.02 | $-0.59 | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $-0.22 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.83 | $0.94 | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $0.37 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.27 | $-0.15 | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.10 | $-0.15 |
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 | $27.9M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $214.1M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.4B | $1.2B |
| Total Assets | $2.5B | $5.0B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.16× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $40.3M | $27.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $56.2M | $54.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $71.7M | $31.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $24.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $57.3M | $23.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $34.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $25.9M | $26.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $22.2M | $30.2M |
| Q4 25 | $214.1M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $168.8M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $285.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $289.9M | $2.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $299.8M | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $294.5M | — |
| Q4 25 | $1.4B | $1.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.4B | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.4B | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.4B | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.4B | $1.2B | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.4B | $1.2B |
| Q4 25 | $2.5B | $5.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.5B | $5.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.5B | $5.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $5.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.5B | $5.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $5.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.5B | $5.3B | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.5B | $5.3B |
| Q4 25 | 0.16× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.12× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.21× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.21× | 1.98× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.21× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 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 | $29.4M | $45.1M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $7.4M | $31.2M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 0.8% | 5.6% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 2.3% | 2.5% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 0.57× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $6.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $29.4M | $45.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $21.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $151.6M | $-10.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $-3.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $101.9M | $153.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $140.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $143.5M | $26.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $78.7M | $45.4M |
| Q4 25 | $7.4M | $31.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $6.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $100.7M | $-22.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $-8.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $81.7M | $146.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $127.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $114.0M | $2.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $53.4M | $23.3M |
| Q4 25 | 0.8% | 5.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 1.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 10.4% | -4.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | -1.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.8% | 20.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 19.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 11.6% | 0.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.7% | 4.1% |
| Q4 25 | 2.3% | 2.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 2.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.2% | 2.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 1.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.2% | 0.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 2.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.0% | 4.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 2.7% | 3.9% |
| Q4 25 | 0.57× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.67× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.18× | 1.61× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 2.94× | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.00× | 18.45× | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.27× | 27.94× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
MSM
Segment breakdown not available.
SSP
| Local Media Segment | $355.1M | 63% |
| Scripps Networks | $199.5M | 36% |
| Political Advertising Revenue | $10.0M | 2% |
