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

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two 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 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $197.00.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MSA. 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 for the company. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

MSA Safety Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MSA traded up $2.64 on Friday, reaching $149.72. The company had a trading volume of 37,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 164,158. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $158.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.61. MSA Safety has a twelve month low of $144.12 and a twelve month high of $200.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

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

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSA. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 869 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in MSA Safety by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,799,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased 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 worth $363,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 1.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,060 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,429,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.