Magnetar Financial LLC Sells 7,818 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Magnetar Financial LLC lowered its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 84.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,426 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,818 shares during the quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC's holdings in MSA Safety were worth $236,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in MSA Safety by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,799,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,190 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in MSA Safety by 1.1% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,060 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a "hold" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $197.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE MSA traded down $0.89 on Thursday, reaching $151.99. 219,167 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 158,292. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. MSA Safety Incorporated has a one year low of $148.23 and a one year high of $200.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08 and a beta of 0.99. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $159.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $167.33.

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

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.29%.

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.