Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 17,858 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 54.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,777 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 17,858 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $2,563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in MSA Safety by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,814 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,467,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its position in MSA Safety by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 114,043 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $21,405,000 after acquiring an additional 12,210 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of MSA Safety during the second quarter valued at $206,000. Cooke & Bieler LP acquired a new position in shares of MSA Safety during the second quarter worth $60,236,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 748.6% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 65,552 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $12,303,000 after purchasing an additional 57,827 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSA has been the topic of several recent research reports. B. Riley started coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a "hold" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $202.50.

MSA Safety Stock Down 0.5 %

MSA traded down $0.83 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $168.11. The company had a trading volume of 421,173 shares, compared to its average volume of 160,938. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $171.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.60. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $160.02 and a 52 week high of $200.60. The company has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.29 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 29.14% and a net margin of 15.16%. The firm had revenue of $432.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $449.95 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. MSA Safety's payout ratio is 29.48%.

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.