Champlain Investment Partners LLC Buys 674,560 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 99.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,354,310 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 674,560 shares during the period. MSA Safety comprises approximately 1.4% of Champlain Investment Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Champlain Investment Partners LLC owned approximately 3.45% of MSA Safety worth $224,504,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,131,000. Redmond Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety during the 4th quarter valued at $362,000. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,774,000 after buying an additional 1,694 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,356 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $70,345,000 after buying an additional 6,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 124,041 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $20,468,000 after acquiring an additional 26,470 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Price Performance

MSA Safety stock traded up $2.43 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $144.80. 77,297 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 173,214. 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 Incorporated has a 12 month low of $127.86 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The stock's fifty day moving average is $150.82 and its 200-day moving average is $162.54. The stock has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09 and a beta of 0.97.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its 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, equities research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Robert W. Baird lowered 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, April 15th. Two investment 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 MarketBeat, MSA Safety has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $194.20.

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.