MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. They set a “hold” rating and a $182.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Performance

Shares of MSA stock opened at $158.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 52 week low of $127.86 and a 52 week high of $182.85. The company has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a PE ratio of 22.40 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $167.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.56.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $468.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.37 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 25.23%. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $0.5625 dividend. This is a boost from MSA Safety Incorporporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety Incorporporated

In other news, President Stephanie L. Sciullo sold 2,361 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.51, for a total value of $400,213.11. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 9,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,539,659.33. The trade was a 20.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSA Safety Incorporporated

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. bought a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the second quarter valued at $158,997,000. M&G PLC boosted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 5,607.2% in the second quarter. M&G PLC now owns 722,251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $121,338,000 after acquiring an additional 709,596 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 384,365 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the second quarter worth approximately $52,167,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 4,260.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 204,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $34,188,000 after purchasing an additional 199,628 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.