MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Shares Acquired by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 38.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,365 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,761 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.14% of MSA Safety worth $9,344,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 97.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 81.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank increased 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 purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced 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. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $197.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MSA Safety Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of MSA traded down $4.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $129.89. 295,063 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 165,820. The firm has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12-month low of $128.23 and a 12-month high of $200.61.

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

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio 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.