MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $197.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MSA shares. 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 on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson initiated 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 for the company.

MSA Safety Price Performance

Shares of MSA opened at $159.95 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $163.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. MSA Safety has a twelve month low of $153.79 and a twelve month high of $200.60. The company has a market cap of $6.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.18 and a beta of 1.00.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. As a group, analysts predict that MSA Safety will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $237,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 25,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,298,000 after acquiring an additional 2,541 shares during the period. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd boosted its position in MSA Safety by 954.1% in the 4th quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 59,957 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,930,000 after purchasing an additional 54,269 shares in the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter worth approximately $230,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 275.1% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 89,929 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,908,000 after purchasing an additional 65,953 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.