HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Sells 427 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA)

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC cut its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) by 4.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,181 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 427 shares during the quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC’s holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated were worth $1,347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 165,642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $24,298,000 after purchasing an additional 8,982 shares during the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. grew its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 57.1% during the first quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 4,881 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $716,000 after buying an additional 1,775 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.0% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,074 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,265,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.5% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,659 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,122,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. raised its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 0.3% in the first quarter. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. now owns 23,136 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,394,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 10th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. B. Riley reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 target price on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $191.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $4,839,600.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 35,401 shares in the company, valued at $5,710,889.32. This represents a 45.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Down 0.4%

MSA opened at $168.02 on Thursday. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 12 month low of $127.86 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The company has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a PE ratio of 23.18 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $159.36 and a 200 day moving average of $158.97.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $421.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $402.60 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 27.65% and a net margin of 15.77%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. This is an increase from MSA Safety Incorporporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.24%.

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

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.