Advisors Asset Management Inc. Reduces Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 50.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,067 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,156 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $721,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its stake in MSA Safety by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 21,267 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,771,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its stake in MSA Safety by 1.3% in the third quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 5,418 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $961,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in MSA Safety by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,052 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its position in MSA Safety by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 1,330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,845 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,307,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, B. Riley started 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.

MSA Safety Price Performance

NYSE MSA opened at $174.78 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $6.87 billion, a PE ratio of 25.26 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52-week low of $160.02 and a 52-week high of $200.60. 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 firm's 50 day moving average price is $172.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.21.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $432.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $449.95 million. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 29.14%. MSA Safety's revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.48%.

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.