MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $197.00.

MSA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson started coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a "hold" rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,246 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 8.2% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,629 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,352,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 5.7% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $654,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in MSA Safety by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 154,124 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,332,000 after buying an additional 3,749 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 397.0% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,342 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $238,000 after buying an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of MSA stock traded down $0.69 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $157.75. The stock had a trading volume of 176,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 148,192. MSA Safety has a 1-year low of $153.79 and a 1-year high of $200.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.88 and a beta of 0.99. The business's fifty day moving average is $162.76 and its 200-day moving average is $169.82.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that MSA Safety will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.29%.

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.