EntryPoint Capital LLC Takes Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,868 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $310,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,883,844 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $643,825,000 after purchasing an additional 22,190 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 74,940 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $12,423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,952 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 43.4% during the 4th quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,774,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 89.0% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 78,368 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $12,991,000 after purchasing an additional 36,914 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

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MSA Safety Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE MSA traded up $0.48 on Tuesday, reaching $147.17. The company had a trading volume of 180,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 164,658. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $144.12 and a 52 week high of $200.61. The stock's 50 day moving average is $158.45 and its 200-day moving average is $166.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $5.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41 and a beta of 0.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average 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.