VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Sells 11,000 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems cut its MSA Safety stake by 81.5%, selling 11,000 shares in the third quarter and retaining 2,500 shares valued at about $445,000.
• MSA Safety reported quarterly EPS of $2.09, matching expectations, while revenue of $536.43 million exceeded estimates and rose 14.5% year over year.
• Analysts have a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $211.33. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.54 per share, equivalent to a 1.3% yield.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al reduced its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 81.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 11,000 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated were worth $445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Madison Asset Management LLC grew its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 588,568 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $96,496,000 after purchasing an additional 20,324 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 42.5% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 218,070 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,752,000 after purchasing an additional 65,002 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 205,135 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,633,000 after purchasing an additional 11,788 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 176,593 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,412,000 after purchasing an additional 29,289 shares during the period. Finally, Giverny Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 2nd quarter worth $29,034,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $197.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 24th. DA Davidson set a $223.00 price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $210.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.33.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSA opened at $169.92 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $181.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.05. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 1-year low of $152.86 and a 1-year high of $208.92. The firm has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The industrial products company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09. The business had revenue of $536.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $528.39 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 24.86% and a net margin of 15.03%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.77 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 9.12 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. MSA Safety Incorporporated's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.76%.

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

MSA Safety Incorporated NYSE: MSA develops and manufactures safety products and systems designed to protect workers and facility operations. Its offerings include industrial and firefighter helmets, eye and face protection, hearing protection, respiratory protection, protective clothing, and fall-protection equipment.

The company also provides portable and fixed gas-detection systems, flame detection and suppression technologies, thermal imaging cameras, and related software and services.

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