Vest Financial LLC Takes $1.51 Million Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Vest Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 10,292 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,510,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 120.6% in the 4th 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 worth $42,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in MSA Safety by 81.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 869 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the 1st quarter valued at $165,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Price Performance

NYSE:MSA traded down $1.48 on Wednesday, reaching $164.94. The stock had a trading volume of 65,338 shares, compared to its average volume of 185,611. The company has a market capitalization of $6.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.87 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $153.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.59. 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 Incorporated has a 1-year low of $127.86 and a 1-year high of $200.61.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $402.60 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 EPS. MSA Safety's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from MSA Safety's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.29%. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MSA. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MSA Safety from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson cut their price objective on MSA Safety from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on MSA Safety in a 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $191.80.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $4,839,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 35,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. This trade represents a 45.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MSA Safety Company 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.