MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $189.20.

A number of research firms have commented on MSA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson upped their price objective 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, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Price Performance

MSA stock opened at $158.92 on Friday. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 52-week low of $127.86 and a 52-week high of $182.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day moving average of $167.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $167.68.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $468.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $461.37 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 25.23% and a net margin of 15.02%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.83 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety Incorporporated

In related news, President Stephanie L. Sciullo sold 2,361 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,539,659.33. This represents a 20.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety Incorporporated

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MSA. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the third quarter worth about $297,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 10,746 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,849,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 452,943 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $77,938,000 after buying an additional 3,807 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 126.4% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,708 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,670,000 after buying an additional 5,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $23,321,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.