MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson set a $223.00 target price on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $197.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. B. Riley Financial lowered MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $210.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MSA Safety Incorporporated presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $211.33.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Performance

NYSE:MSA opened at $179.90 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 3.24. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a fifty-two week low of $151.10 and a fifty-two week high of $208.92. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $175.08. The company has a market capitalization of $6.94 billion, a PE ratio of 22.38 and a beta of 0.94.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.26. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 25.13%. The firm had revenue of $503.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $496.27 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.93 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 9.2 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s payout ratio is 26.87%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Nishan Vartanian sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.99, for a total transaction of $3,879,800.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 50,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,762,352.76. This represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Jonathan Buck sold 469 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.00, for a total value of $89,579.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $721,216. This represents a 11.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety Incorporporated

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in the 4th quarter worth $66,878,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1,447.3% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 363,177 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $58,159,000 after purchasing an additional 339,705 shares in the last quarter. Giverny Capital Inc. purchased a new position in MSA Safety Incorporporated during the second quarter worth about $29,034,000. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 47.8% during the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 380,320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,904,000 after purchasing an additional 122,926 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. grew its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. now owns 1,811,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $290,115,000 after purchasing an additional 106,349 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated develops and manufactures safety equipment and systems designed to protect people in hazardous work environments. Its products include industrial and fixed-gas detection instruments, respiratory protection equipment, hard hats and other head protection, eye and face protection, hearing protection, fall-protection systems, and connected safety technologies.

The company serves customers in industries such as construction, manufacturing, utilities, oil and gas, mining, and emergency response.