MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM) reported earnings on April 4. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Feb. 25 (Q2), MSC Industrial Direct beat slightly on revenue and met expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew significantly and GAAP earnings per share expanded significantly.

Gross margin dropped, operating margin increased, and net margin grew.

Revenue details
MSC Industrial Direct reported revenue of $563.0 million. The 10 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see revenue of $554.7 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 16% higher than the prior-year quarter's $483.4 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.95. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.95 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.95 for Q2 were 22% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.78 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 46.1%, 70 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 17.3%, 60 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.7%, 40 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $617.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.11.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.34 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.10.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 469 members out of 480 rating the stock outperform, and 11 members rating it underperform. Among 213 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 210 give MSC Industrial Direct a green thumbs-up, and three give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on MSC Industrial Direct is outperform, with an average price target of $82.00.