MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Stock Position Lifted by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 66.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,779 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,704 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can's holdings in MSA Safety were worth $1,953,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew 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 worth $37,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in MSA Safety by 97.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in MSA Safety by 81.3% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its position in MSA Safety by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSA Safety 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety Price Performance

Shares of MSA stock traded up $1.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $144.17. 161,903 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 173,280. MSA Safety Incorporated has a twelve month low of $127.86 and a twelve month 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 simple moving average is $151.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.88. The firm has a market cap of $5.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00 and a beta of 0.97.

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 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $194.20.

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.