Axa S.A. Sells 8,256 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

AXA S.A. reduced its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 13.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,354 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 8,256 shares during the period. AXA S.A. owned 0.13% of MSA Safety worth $8,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new stake in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth approximately $372,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth approximately $566,000. Comerica Bank increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 57,701 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,565,000 after acquiring an additional 11,807 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 57,918 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,601,000 after acquiring an additional 13,682 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 36.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 438,374 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $72,669,000 after acquiring an additional 117,758 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of MSA Safety stock traded down $0.14 on Friday, hitting $157.37. The company had a trading volume of 139,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 179,352. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 1 year low of $127.86 and a 1 year high of $200.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $149.12 and a 200-day moving average of $160.89.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. The business had revenue of $421.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $402.60 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from MSA Safety's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSA has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MSA Safety from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on MSA Safety in a report on Monday, May 5th. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their target price on MSA Safety from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $191.80.

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.