MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $189.20.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 29th.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Price Performance

Shares of MSA opened at $163.34 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.91. The firm has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a PE ratio of 23.04 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 1-year low of $127.86 and a 1-year high of $182.85.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.04. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 25.24% and a net margin of 15.02%.The firm had revenue of $468.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.37 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.83 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.5625 per share. This is an increase from MSA Safety Incorporporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety Incorporporated

In other news, President Stephanie L. Sciullo sold 2,361 shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated stock in a transaction on Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.51, for a total transaction of $400,213.11. Following the transaction, the president owned 9,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,539,659.33. This trade represents a 20.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.00, for a total transaction of $53,613.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $713,874. The trade was a 6.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,027,471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $297,410,000 after acquiring an additional 27,692 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 28.4% during the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,738,675 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $255,046,000 after purchasing an additional 384,365 shares in the last quarter. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. bought a new position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in the second quarter worth approximately $158,997,000. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.3% in the third quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 824,620 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $141,892,000 after purchasing an additional 10,858 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.2% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 754,748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $129,866,000 after purchasing an additional 16,576 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated develops, manufactures, and supplies safety products and technology solutions that protect people and facility infrastructures in the fire service, energy, utility, construction, and industrial manufacturing applications, as well as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration industries worldwide.