Jane Street Group LLC Increases Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 78.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 9,671 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,259 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $1,715,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSA. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in MSA Safety by 1.9% in the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,814 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,467,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 114,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $21,405,000 after acquiring an additional 12,210 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety during the 2nd quarter worth about $206,000. Cooke & Bieler LP acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the second quarter worth approximately $60,236,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 748.6% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 65,552 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,303,000 after purchasing an additional 57,827 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE:MSA opened at $168.94 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $171.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. MSA Safety Incorporated has a twelve month low of $160.02 and a twelve month high of $200.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.41 and a beta of 0.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 29.14% and a net margin of 15.16%. The company had revenue of $432.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $449.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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 target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Finally, B. Riley began coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $202.50.

MSA Safety 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.