Bessemer Group Inc. Increases Holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA

Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) by 56.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 161,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 58,220 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated were worth $26,395,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 144 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 109.3% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 157 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. purchased a new position in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 94.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $235.00 to $206.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $197.00 target price on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $180.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Julie A. Beck purchased 448 shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $158.69 per share, for a total transaction of $71,093.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 3,825 shares in the company, valued at $606,989.25. The trade was a 13.27% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Price Performance

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated stock opened at $170.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 3.17. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 52-week low of $151.10 and a 52-week high of $208.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $167.27 and a 200-day moving average of $174.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.10 and a beta of 0.95.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.14. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 24.54%. The business had revenue of $463.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $451.28 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.54 dividend. This is a boost from MSA Safety Incorporporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.19%.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated develops, manufactures and supplies a wide range of safety products designed to protect workers in hazardous environments. The company’s offerings span personal protective equipment such as industrial helmets, face shields, protective clothing and fall protection devices, as well as fixed and portable gas detection and monitoring systems. MSA’s products are used in industries including oil and gas, mining, construction, fire service, and chemical processing to guard against risks such as gas leaks, impacts, flame exposure and falls from height.

Key product lines include self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and air-purifying respirators, gas detectors and sensors, head and face protection, and fall arrest systems.