M&T Bank Corp Raises Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 60.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,670 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 4,752 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in MSA Safety were worth $2,100,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MSA. 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 position in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter worth $362,000. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,694 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings 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 during the period. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in MSA Safety by 67.6% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 23,385 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,147,000 after acquiring an additional 9,433 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

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MSA Safety Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE MSA traded down $3.22 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $152.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 43,933 shares, compared to its average volume of 154,679. MSA Safety Incorporated has a one year low of $151.03 and a one year high of $200.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14 and a beta of 0.99. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $162.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.43.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety's payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MSA. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a "hold" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $197.00.

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.