MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Shares Sold by Brown Advisory Inc.

Brown Advisory Inc. cut its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 0.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 433,352 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,251 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. owned 1.10% of MSA Safety Incorporporated worth $63,568,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,883,844 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $643,825,000 after acquiring an additional 22,190 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,999,779 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $331,503,000 after acquiring an additional 173,210 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 99.2% during the fourth quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,354,310 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $224,504,000 after acquiring an additional 674,560 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,131,515 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $187,573,000 after acquiring an additional 271,264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 806,438 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $133,718,000 after acquiring an additional 24,733 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MSA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $191.80.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety Incorporporated

In other MSA Safety Incorporporated news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $4,839,600.00. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 35,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. The trade was a 45.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSA traded down $2.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $172.87. 87,227 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 188,316. The company has a market cap of $6.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.84 and a beta of 0.95. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 1 year low of $127.86 and a 1 year high of $200.61. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $164.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $158.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 2.94 and a quick ratio of 1.84.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $421.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $402.60 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 27.65%. The business's revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change from MSA Safety Incorporporated's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. MSA Safety Incorporporated's payout ratio is presently 29.24%.

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.