MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA Shares Sold by T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in MSA Safety Incorporated by 8.1%, currently holding 568,647 shares valued at approximately $83.4 million.
• MSA Safety reported $1.93 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding consensus estimates by $0.17, with revenues reaching $474.12 million.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, set to be paid on September 10th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.2%.

T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 568,647 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 50,170 shares during the quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. owned about 1.45% of MSA Safety Incorporporated worth $83,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 57.1% in the first quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 4,881 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $716,000 after buying an additional 1,775 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 39.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 269 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.0% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,074 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,265,000 after buying an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in the first quarter valued at $1,273,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 13.2% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,418 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,090,000 after buying an additional 9,593 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $182.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen raised MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price objective on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Up 2.4%

NYSE:MSA traded up $4.00 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $174.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 87,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 206,539. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $173.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $161.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 3.11 and a quick ratio of 1.90. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a twelve month low of $127.86 and a twelve month high of $187.41. The stock has a market cap of $6.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.83 and a beta of 0.96.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $474.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.46 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.01 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Dividend Announcement

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