Pier Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 60,702 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,162 shares during the period. MSA Safety comprises about 1.4% of Pier Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Pier Capital LLC owned about 0.15% of MSA Safety worth $10,063,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MSA. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth approximately $310,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 22,190 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 74,940 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $12,423,000 after purchasing an additional 1,952 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its stake in MSA Safety by 43.4% during the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth $1,774,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
MSA has been the subject of several research reports. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a "hold" rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $197.00.
Get Our Latest Report on MSA Safety
MSA Safety Stock Performance
NYSE MSA traded down $3.83 on Friday, hitting $148.07. The stock had a trading volume of 176,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 164,419. The company's 50-day moving average is $159.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.03. MSA Safety Incorporated has a one year low of $147.77 and a one year high of $200.61. The stock has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54 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 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, analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.
MSA Safety Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.29%.
Insider Transactions 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 sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.
MSA Safety Company Profile
(
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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