MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Holdings Raised by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 11.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,722 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 7,435 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned 0.18% of MSA Safety worth $10,528,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in MSA Safety by 62.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,959,000 after purchasing an additional 6,384 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 7,452 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 1,519 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $252,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 99,899 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $16,560,000 after buying an additional 2,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 28.6% during the 4th quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 1,800 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $4,839,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 35,401 shares in the company, valued at $5,710,889.32. This represents a 45.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of MSA traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $165.78. The company had a trading volume of 60,813 shares, compared to its average volume of 185,346. The stock has a market cap of $6.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.98 and a beta of 0.95. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $127.86 and a 52 week high of $200.61. The company's 50 day moving average price is $152.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.79. 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 released its 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 company had revenue of $421.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $402.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. MSA Safety's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase 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 1.28%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Monday, May 5th. B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson reduced their price target on MSA Safety from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded MSA Safety from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $191.80.

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.