Which has the lower trailing P/E, AOS or MSM?

AOS has the lower trailing P/E: AOS trades at 16.08 and MSM at 29.98. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, AOS or MSM?

Over the past five years, MSM grew revenue faster — AOS at a 3.37% CAGR versus MSM at 4.34%.

Does AOS or MSM pay a bigger dividend?

AOS yields 2.51% and MSM yields 2.89% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is AOS or MSM more profitable?

AOS runs the higher net margin — AOS at 13.15% versus MSM at 5.90%.

How have AOS and MSM total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, AOS delivered 4.10% and MSM delivered 10.17% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

A. O. Smith Corporation (AOS) vs MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (MSM)

A side-by-side comparison of A. O. Smith Corporation and MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 13, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

AOS

A. O. Smith Corporation

$8.00B

$57.74IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 23, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

MSM

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc.

$6.93B

$124.10IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 23, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — AOS vs MSM

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

AOS +46.2% (+3.9%/yr)MSM +164.4% (+10.2%/yr)MSM compounded faster over this window

AOS MSM

AOS vs MSM: by the numbers

•AOS is the larger company ($8.00B vs $6.93B market cap).
•AOS trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (16.08 vs 29.98 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•AOS converts more revenue to profit (13.15% vs 5.90% net margin).
•MSM grew revenue faster over the past five years (4.34% vs 3.37% CAGR).
•MSM pays the higher dividend yield (2.89% vs 2.51%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	AOS	MSM
P/E ratio	16.08	29.98
Forward P/E	15.45	22.87
P/S ratio	2.10	1.77
P/B ratio	4.34	4.88
EV / EBITDA	11.16	16.72
FCF yield	7.99%	3.17%

Profitability

Metric	AOS	MSM
Gross margin	38.59%	40.82%
Operating margin	17.57%	8.80%
Net margin	13.15%	5.90%
ROE	27.16%	16.24%
ROIC	18.44%	12.36%

Dividends

Metric	AOS	MSM
Dividend yield	2.51%	2.89%
Payout ratio	40.11%	84.06%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	AOS	MSM
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	3.37%	4.34%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	12.52%	-4.65%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	4.38%	5.48%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	-2.11%	12.65%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, AOS or MSM?: AOS has the lower trailing P/E: AOS trades at 16.08 and MSM at 29.98. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, AOS or MSM?: Over the past five years, MSM grew revenue faster — AOS at a 3.37% CAGR versus MSM at 4.34%.
Does AOS or MSM pay a bigger dividend?: AOS yields 2.51% and MSM yields 2.89% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is AOS or MSM more profitable?: AOS runs the higher net margin — AOS at 13.15% versus MSM at 5.90%.
How have AOS and MSM total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, AOS delivered 4.10% and MSM delivered 10.17% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full AOS analysis Full MSM analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

A. O. Smith P/E ratio MSC Industrial Direct P/E ratio A. O. Smith dividend yield MSC Industrial Direct dividend yield A. O. Smith ROE MSC Industrial Direct ROE A. O. Smith operating margin MSC Industrial Direct operating margin A. O. Smith revenue growth MSC Industrial Direct revenue growth A. O. Smith free cash flow MSC Industrial Direct free cash flow

A. O. Smith & MSC Industrial Direct appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks 25+ Year Dividend Growers Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified September 13, 2026.