Palisade Capital Management LP Sells 3,412 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA)

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

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MSA. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 120.6% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 54.4% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 682 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 869 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson decreased 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 note on Monday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Monday, May 5th. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Two investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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 dated 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 transaction, the chairman directly owned 35,401 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. The trade was a 45.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Up 1.3%

MSA stock traded up $2.24 during trading on Thursday, hitting $175.77. The company had a trading volume of 154,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 187,449. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $162.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $158.73. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 12 month low of $127.86 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 2.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $6.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.24 and a beta of 0.95.

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

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from MSA Safety Incorporporated's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. MSA Safety Incorporporated's payout ratio is 29.24%.

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.