11,125 Shares in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Bought by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 11,125 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,844,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 120.6% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in MSA Safety by 97.6% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in MSA Safety by 81.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank lifted its position in MSA Safety by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

MSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson began coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $197.00.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of MSA traded down $3.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $148.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 176,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 164,161. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 1-year low of $147.78 and a 1-year high of $200.61. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $159.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.22. The stock has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54 and a beta of 0.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.29%.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.