Geode Capital Management LLC Buys 24,733 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 806,438 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,733 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.05% of MSA Safety worth $133,718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 22.7% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 6,439 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,191 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,691,319 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $299,939,000 after buying an additional 40,569 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 78.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 9,671 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,715,000 after buying an additional 4,259 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in MSA Safety during the third quarter valued at approximately $198,000. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in MSA Safety by 62.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,959,000 after acquiring an additional 6,384 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

MSA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $197.00.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of MSA Safety stock traded up $0.91 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $145.10. The company had a trading volume of 31,942 shares, compared to its average volume of 170,167. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.76. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 1-year low of $127.86 and a 1-year high of $200.61. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $153.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $163.81. The stock has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12 and a beta of 0.97.

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

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio is 28.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety 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.