MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Shares Acquired by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 62.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,384 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $2,959,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in MSA Safety in the third quarter valued at $198,000. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 78.7% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 9,671 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,715,000 after buying an additional 4,259 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 2.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,691,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $299,939,000 after acquiring an additional 40,569 shares during the period. SageView Advisory Group LLC raised its position in MSA Safety by 88.6% during the third quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,135 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 690.5% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Price Performance

MSA Safety stock opened at $168.94 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.68. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $171.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.41 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 1 year low of $160.02 and a 1 year high of $200.60.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $432.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $449.95 million. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 29.14%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. B. Riley started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $202.50.

MSA Safety 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.