MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Raised to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded MSA Safety from “Hold” to “Buy.” However, the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with an average price target of $211.33.
• MSA Safety reported quarterly EPS of $2.40, beating estimates of $2.14, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $503.33 million.
• The stock opened at $180.66, and insiders recently sold shares, including the chairman’s $3.88 million transaction. Institutional investors own a substantial 92.51% of the company.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson set a $223.00 price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. B. Riley Financial cut MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $210.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $197.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, MSA Safety Incorporporated currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.33.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Up 1.4%

MSA Safety Incorporporated stock opened at $180.66 on Friday. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 12 month low of $151.10 and a 12 month high of $208.92. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 3.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.47 and a beta of 0.92. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $185.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $174.83.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.26. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 25.13% and a net margin of 16.13%. The business had revenue of $503.33 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.27 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.93 earnings per share. MSA Safety Incorporporated's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 9.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSA Safety Incorporporated news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 469 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.00, for a total transaction of $89,579.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,776 shares in the company, valued at $721,216. This represents a 11.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.99, for a total transaction of $3,879,800.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 50,324 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,762,352.76. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSA Safety Incorporporated

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Giverny Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,034,000. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 47.8% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 380,320 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $60,904,000 after buying an additional 122,926 shares during the period. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. grew its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. now owns 1,811,635 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $290,115,000 after buying an additional 106,349 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 15,958.9% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 102,456 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $16,798,000 after acquiring an additional 101,818 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2,490.2% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 89,517 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $15,628,000 after acquiring an additional 86,061 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated develops and manufactures safety products and systems designed to protect workers and facility occupants in hazardous environments. Its solutions are used across industries including construction, manufacturing, utilities, oil and gas, mining, emergency services, and public safety.

The company's product portfolio includes industrial head, face, eye, and hearing protection; fire and rescue helmets and protective equipment; respiratory protection; portable and fixed gas-detection instruments; fall-protection systems; thermal-imaging cameras; and related software and connected safety technologies.

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