Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 1.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 437,803 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,836 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 1.11% of MSA Safety worth $77,634,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSA. State Street Corp increased its holdings in 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 worth $299,939,000 after purchasing an additional 40,569 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of MSA Safety by 27.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 781,705 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $138,658,000 after buying an additional 169,168 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 3.0% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 770,641 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $144,642,000 after buying an additional 22,366 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 3.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 738,951 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $138,695,000 after acquiring an additional 22,979 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 43.5% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 440,316 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $78,086,000 after acquiring an additional 133,373 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of MSA Safety stock traded down $2.15 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $165.37. The company had a trading volume of 720,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,897. The company's 50-day moving average is $171.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.74. MSA Safety Incorporated has a twelve month low of $160.02 and a twelve month high of $200.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.90 and a beta of 0.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.05. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 29.14%. The company had revenue of $432.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $449.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. MSA Safety's revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MSA. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated 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. Finally, B. Riley started coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $202.50.

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.