AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Boosts Stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 11.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,722 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,435 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned about 0.18% of MSA Safety worth $10,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in MSA Safety by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 869 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,799,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,190 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 16,276 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,698,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 1,557 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $4,839,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 35,401 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. The trade was a 45.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MSA Safety Price Performance

NYSE:MSA traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $165.27. 134,064 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 186,195. 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. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $152.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.77. The company has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.92 and a beta of 0.95.

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

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. This is an increase from MSA Safety's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. MSA Safety's payout ratio 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 reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded MSA Safety from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.