UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $112.05 Million Stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC reduced its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 675,918 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 137,179 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 1.72% of MSA Safety worth $112,047,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSA. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in MSA Safety by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in MSA Safety by 120.6% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in MSA Safety by 97.6% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in MSA Safety by 81.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its stake in MSA Safety by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 869 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Trading Up 3.0%

MSA stock traded up $4.68 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $162.43. The company had a trading volume of 179,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 182,725. The stock has a market cap of $6.38 billion, a PE ratio of 22.53 and a beta of 0.96. MSA Safety Incorporated has a one year low of $127.86 and a one year high of $200.61. The business has a 50-day moving average of $150.57 and a 200-day moving average of $160.16. 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 posted its quarterly 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 had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. Research analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSA Safety news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 35,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. This represents a 45.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on MSA shares. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 target price on MSA Safety in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised MSA Safety from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their target price on MSA Safety from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $191.80.

About MSA Safety

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.