MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Shares Bought by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 30.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,660 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,365 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.40% of MSA Safety worth $25,969,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSA. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in MSA Safety by 78.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of MSA Safety by 120.6% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 97.6% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in MSA Safety by 81.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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MSA Safety Price Performance

MSA stock traded down $1.86 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $142.79. 150,212 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 180,177. The company has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $153.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.58. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52-week low of $127.86 and a 52-week high of $200.60.

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

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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 1.43%. MSA Safety's payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MSA shares. DA Davidson assumed 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. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of MSA Safety from $175.00 to $161.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $194.20.

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.