Gotham Asset Management LLC Sells 5,351 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Gotham Asset Management LLC lowered its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 81.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,237 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 5,351 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in MSA Safety were worth $205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Redmond Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the fourth quarter valued at about $362,000. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,694 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in MSA Safety by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,356 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $70,345,000 after buying an additional 6,119 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in MSA Safety by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 124,041 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $20,468,000 after buying an additional 26,470 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in MSA Safety by 62.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,959,000 after buying an additional 6,384 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE:MSA traded up $4.68 on Tuesday, reaching $162.43. 179,387 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 182,725. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market cap of $6.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53 and a beta of 0.96. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $127.86 and a 52 week high of $200.61. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $160.16.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $421.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $402.60 million. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from MSA Safety's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 35,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. This trade represents a 45.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on MSA. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MSA Safety from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 10th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of 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 shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $191.80.

MSA Safety 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.