438,520 Shares in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Purchased by Norges Bank

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 438,520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,693,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter worth about $43,689,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,894,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in MSA Safety by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,999,779 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $331,503,000 after purchasing an additional 173,210 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in MSA Safety by 27.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 781,705 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $138,658,000 after purchasing an additional 169,168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in MSA Safety by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 590,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $97,923,000 after buying an additional 150,402 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Stock Up 1.8 %

MSA stock opened at $149.77 on Thursday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $144.12 and a fifty-two week high of $200.61. The company has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $158.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About MSA Safety

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.