MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage set a "hold" rating and a $200.00 price target on the industrial products company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective points to a potential upside of 13.38% from the company's previous close.

Separately, B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $205.00.

MSA Safety Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE MSA traded down $1.38 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $176.40. 140,356 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 157,056. The company has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.65 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $172.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.21. MSA Safety has a 52 week low of $160.02 and a 52 week high of $200.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.68.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $432.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $449.95 million. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 29.14%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety will post 7.64 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in MSA Safety by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,691,319 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $299,939,000 after buying an additional 40,569 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 27.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 781,705 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $138,658,000 after acquiring an additional 169,168 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 3.0% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 770,641 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $144,642,000 after purchasing an additional 22,366 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in MSA Safety by 3.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 738,951 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $138,695,000 after purchasing an additional 22,979 shares during the period. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in MSA Safety by 43.5% during the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 440,316 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $78,086,000 after purchasing an additional 133,373 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

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.