MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. DA Davidson set a $223.00 target price on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. B. Riley Financial cut MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, 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 research report on Monday, August 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MSA Safety Incorporporated has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $211.33.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Down 0.0%

MSA stock opened at $180.66 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a PE ratio of 22.47 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 3.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $185.90 and its 200 day moving average is $174.84. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a one year low of $151.10 and a one year high of $208.92.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $503.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $496.27 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 25.13%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.93 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 9.12 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSA Safety Incorporporated news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 50,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,762,352.76. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 469 shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.00, for a total transaction of $89,579.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $721,216. This trade represents a 11.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate 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 modified their holdings of the stock. Giverny Capital Inc. purchased a new position in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,034,000. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 47.8% during the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 380,320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,904,000 after buying an additional 122,926 shares in the last quarter. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 6.2% during 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 buying an additional 106,349 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 15,958.9% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 102,456 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $16,798,000 after buying an additional 101,818 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2,490.2% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 89,517 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,628,000 after acquiring an additional 86,061 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated develops and manufactures safety products and systems designed to protect workers and facility occupants in hazardous environments. Its solutions are used across industries including construction, manufacturing, utilities, oil and gas, mining, emergency services, and public safety.

The company’s product portfolio includes industrial head, face, eye, and hearing protection; fire and rescue helmets and protective equipment; respiratory protection; portable and fixed gas-detection instruments; fall-protection systems; thermal-imaging cameras; and related software and connected safety technologies.