MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) Sets New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $147.77 and last traded at $148.07, with a volume of 176569 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $151.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered 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. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a "hold" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Finally, DA Davidson began coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have assigned 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 $197.00.

MSA Safety Stock Down 1.0 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $158.83 and a 200 day moving average of $166.82. The stock has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14 and a beta of 0.99. 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 (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 net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. MSA Safety's payout ratio is 28.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,131,000. Redmond Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the fourth quarter valued at about $362,000. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in MSA Safety by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 1,694 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in MSA Safety by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,356 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $70,345,000 after acquiring an additional 6,119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 124,041 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $20,468,000 after purchasing an additional 26,470 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.