MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Holdings Trimmed by Palisade Capital Management LP

Palisade Capital Management LP reduced its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 87,831 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,412 shares during the quarter. Palisade Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.22% of MSA Safety Incorporporated worth $12,884,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 120.6% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 39.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 269 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 54.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 24.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 682 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 869 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 target price on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $191.80.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:MSA traded up $2.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $175.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 154,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 187,479. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $162.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.74. 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 has a twelve month low of $127.86 and a twelve month high of $200.61. The stock has a market cap of $6.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.24 and a beta of 0.95.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 27.65% and a net margin of 15.77%. The company had revenue of $421.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $402.60 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. MSA Safety Incorporporated's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from MSA Safety Incorporporated's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. MSA Safety Incorporporated's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $4,839,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 35,401 shares in the company, valued at $5,710,889.32. This represents a 45.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

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.