Panagora Asset Management Inc. Acquires 2,927 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA

Key Points

• Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporated by 10.7%, bringing its total ownership to approximately 30,281 shares valued at $4.44 million.
• MSA Safety Incorporated reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.93 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.17, with revenue growth of 2.5% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share to be paid on September 10th, representing a 1.2% yield based on the current stock price.

Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 10.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,281 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,927 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of MSA Safety Incorporporated worth $4,442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 3,400.0% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 175 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted 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 valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted 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 valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted 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 valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 11.6% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 970 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. DA Davidson boosted their target price on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $182.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE MSA traded down $2.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $170.31. The stock had a trading volume of 166,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 209,852. The company has a current ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.29 and a beta of 0.95. The business's fifty day moving average price is $173.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $161.79. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 52-week low of $127.86 and a 52-week high of $187.41.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $474.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.46 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 26.03% and a net margin of 15.15%.MSA Safety Incorporporated's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.01 earnings per share. Analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Dividend Announcement

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