11,858 Shares in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Acquired by Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A.

Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 11,858 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,966,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in MSA Safety by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,799,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,190 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 1.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,060 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank increased its stake in MSA Safety by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE MSA opened at $146.55 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52-week low of $146.01 and a 52-week high of $200.61. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $158.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $166.82. 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 (NYSE:MSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.00.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

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

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.