Ameriprise Financial Inc. Sells 47,455 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA

Key Points

• Ameriprise Financial Inc. has reduced its stake in MSA Safety Incorporated by 10.6%, selling 47,455 shares to hold a total of 400,627 shares worth approximately $58.77 million.
• Analysts have set varied price targets for MSA Safety, with a consensus target of $189.20, reflecting a mix of ratings including two "buy" and three "hold" ratings.
• MSA Safety recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53, providing a 1.2% yield to shareholders, with a payout ratio of 30.24%.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lowered its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 10.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 400,627 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 47,455 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 1.02% of MSA Safety Incorporporated worth $58,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 33.9% during the 1st quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 790,939 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $116,023,000 after buying an additional 200,221 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 36.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 438,374 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $72,669,000 after buying an additional 117,758 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 241.6% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 148,212 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $24,569,000 after buying an additional 104,829 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 1st quarter valued at $14,631,000. Finally, Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 1st quarter valued at $10,894,000. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on MSA shares. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $182.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSA opened at $174.06 on Thursday. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a fifty-two week low of $127.86 and a fifty-two week high of $187.41. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 3.11. The firm has a market cap of $6.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.83 and a beta of 0.96.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.17. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 26.03% and a net margin of 15.15%.The business had revenue of $474.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.46 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. MSA Safety Incorporporated's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. MSA Safety Incorporporated's payout ratio is 30.24%.

MSA Safety Incorporporated 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.

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