Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. Invests $10.89 Million in MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA)

Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. bought a new position in MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 74,263 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $10,894,000. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. owned about 0.19% of MSA Safety Incorporporated as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,883,844 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $643,825,000 after acquiring an additional 22,190 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,999,779 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $331,503,000 after acquiring an additional 173,210 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 99.2% in the 4th quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,354,310 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $224,504,000 after acquiring an additional 674,560 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 31.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,131,515 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $187,573,000 after acquiring an additional 271,264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 806,438 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $133,718,000 after acquiring an additional 24,733 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on MSA shares. B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson lowered their price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Wednesday. They set a "hold" rating and a $182.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE MSA traded up $1.02 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $171.69. The stock had a trading volume of 170,020 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,240. The company has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.68 and a beta of 0.95. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $165.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.11. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a twelve month low of $127.86 and a twelve month high of $200.60.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $421.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $402.60 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 27.65% and a net margin of 15.77%. MSA Safety Incorporporated's revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from MSA Safety Incorporporated's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. MSA Safety Incorporporated's payout ratio is currently 29.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSA Safety Incorporporated news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated 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 $5,710,889.32. The trade was a 45.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.