Legal & General Group Plc lowered its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,023 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,614 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.19% of MSA Safety worth $12,437,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MSA. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 78.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 120.6% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 81.3% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Separately, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on MSA Safety from $175.00 to $161.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, MSA Safety currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $194.20.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MSA
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were 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 owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
MSA Safety Price Performance
Shares of MSA stock traded up $1.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $144.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 161,903 shares, compared to its average volume of 173,280. The company has a market cap of $5.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's 50-day moving average is $151.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.88. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 1-year low of $127.86 and a 1-year high of $200.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79.
MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.
About MSA Safety
(
Free Report)
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.
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