MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) Hits New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $159.94 and last traded at $161.11, with a volume of 22545 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $162.54.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. B. Riley began coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a "hold" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson assumed 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $202.50.

MSA Safety Trading Down 1.6 %

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $170.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.80. The firm has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.12 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $432.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $449.95 million. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 29.14% and a net margin of 15.16%. MSA Safety's revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.66 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.48%.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 486.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 252 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 690.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 751 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 985.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 803 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in MSA Safety in the 3rd quarter worth about $198,000. Finally, Kowal Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in MSA Safety during the 2nd quarter valued at about $204,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.