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

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Buy" from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $194.20.

Separately, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on MSA Safety from $175.00 to $161.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MSA. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% during 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 in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 120.6% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 39.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 269 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 97.6% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 81.3% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE MSA opened at $145.17 on Wednesday. MSA Safety has a 52-week low of $127.86 and a 52-week 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. The company's 50 day moving average price is $150.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $162.42. The company has a market capitalization of $5.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13 and a beta of 0.97.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. Equities analysts forecast that MSA Safety will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

About MSA Safety

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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