MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $148.38 and last traded at $148.35, with a volume of 55344 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $150.56.
Analyst Ratings Changes
MSA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. DA Davidson assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. 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 MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $197.00.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MSA Safety
MSA Safety Price Performance
The company's 50-day simple moving average is $160.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $167.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96 and a beta of 0.99.
MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. Equities research analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.
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 given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.29%.
Insider Activity at MSA Safety
In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Trading of MSA Safety
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,883,844 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $643,825,000 after buying an additional 22,190 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,999,779 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $331,503,000 after acquiring an additional 173,210 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,691,319 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $299,939,000 after acquiring an additional 40,569 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in MSA Safety by 99.2% in the fourth quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,354,310 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $224,504,000 after acquiring an additional 674,560 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in MSA Safety by 31.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,131,515 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $187,573,000 after purchasing an additional 271,264 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
About MSA Safety
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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