Nuveen Asset Management LLC Sells 3,772 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC cut its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 170,159 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,772 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.43% of MSA Safety worth $28,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MSA. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of MSA Safety by 120.6% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in MSA Safety by 97.6% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in MSA Safety by 81.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew 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 valued at $144,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of MSA Safety stock traded up $4.68 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $162.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 179,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 182,725. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12 month low of $127.86 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $150.57 and a 200 day moving average of $160.16. The company has a market capitalization of $6.38 billion, a PE ratio of 22.53 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.76.

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

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This is an increase from MSA Safety's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.24%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 35,401 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. This represents a 45.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MSA. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on MSA Safety in a research report on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson lowered their price target 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.