Based on the aggregated intelligence of 125,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, maintenance and repair supplies distributor MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) has earned a coveted five-star ranking. Our data has shown that five-star stocks outperform the market by a significant margin; conversely, one-star stocks woefully lag the market average.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at MSC's business, and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock.

MSC facts

Headquarters (founded)

Melville, N.Y. (1941)

Market Cap

$2.17 billion

Industry

Industrial Equipment Wholesale

TTM Revenue

$1.78 billion

Management

CEO David Sandler (since 2005)

CFO Charles Boehlke (since 2000)

Return on Equity (average, last three years)

25.4%

Dividend Yield

2.3%

Competitors

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW),

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST)

CAPS members bullish on MSM also bullish on:

Cemex (NYSE:CX),

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

CAPS members bearish on MSM also bearish on:

NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA),

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF)

Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's), and Motley Fool CAPS. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Over on CAPS, 97% of the 417 members who have rated MSC Industrial believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include Jeffreyw and wuff3t.

In November, Jeffreyw highlighted the stock as a tasty turnaround bet: "Industry will lead the recovery and MSC [Industrial] has a great variety of products and wide consumer base to meet the demand."

In a more recent pitch from last month, wuff3t shares that contrarian spirit and writes:

During a recession, better-run companies should be able to eat up market share as smaller or weaker rivals go under. In what seems to be a very fragmented market sector this should be all the more true. Add to that the stimulus package and projected infrastructure program to create jobs and wealth - which everyone wants to see working as soon as possible - and I see a lot of potential ahead for [MSC Industrial] to grow their business.

What do you think about MSC Industrial, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 125,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.

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