MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Shares Sold by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lowered its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 675,918 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 137,179 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 1.72% of MSA Safety worth $112,047,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 0.6% during 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 in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,999,779 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $331,503,000 after purchasing an additional 173,210 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of MSA Safety 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 in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 31.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,131,515 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $187,573,000 after buying an additional 271,264 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 3.2% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

MSA stock traded down $0.18 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $162.22. The stock had a trading volume of 263,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 183,048. The stock's 50 day moving average is $150.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.16. The firm has a market cap of $6.38 billion, a PE ratio of 22.50 and a beta of 0.96. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $127.86 and a 52 week high of $200.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

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

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MSA. DA Davidson cut their target price 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. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MSA Safety from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $191.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $4,839,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 35,401 shares in the company, valued at $5,710,889.32. This represents a 45.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.