Nixon Peabody Trust Co. Lowers Stock Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Nixon Peabody Trust Co. trimmed its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 347,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 30,175 shares during the quarter. MSA Safety accounts for approximately 4.7% of Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. owned approximately 0.88% of MSA Safety worth $57,613,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSA. Creative Planning raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 486.0% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 8.2% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,629 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,352,000 after acquiring an additional 575 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 5.7% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $654,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 4.3% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,052 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $364,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. B. Riley assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. DA Davidson assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.00.

Insider Activity

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.07% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MSA opened at $163.83 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $170.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.76. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 1 year low of $153.79 and a 1 year high of $200.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a PE ratio of 22.72 and a beta of 1.00.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. On average, equities analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

About MSA Safety

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.