Voya Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Position in MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporated by 32.9%, owning around 24,944 shares valued at approximately $3.66 million.
• President Stephanie L. Sciullo sold 2,361 shares at an average price of $169.51, reducing her ownership by 20.63%.
• MSA Safety Incorporated's quarterly earnings topped estimates with $1.93 per share, and the company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53.

Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 32.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,944 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,178 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.06% of MSA Safety Incorporporated worth $3,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 57.1% in the 1st quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 4,881 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $716,000 after buying an additional 1,775 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 39.4% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.0% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,074 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,265,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the first quarter valued at $1,273,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 13.2% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,418 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,090,000 after acquiring an additional 9,593 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on MSA shares. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $182.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson raised their price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $189.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Stephanie L. Sciullo sold 2,361 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.51, for a total transaction of $400,213.11. Following the transaction, the president owned 9,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,539,659.33. This represents a 20.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Performance

MSA traded down $1.24 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $171.11. The stock had a trading volume of 15,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 212,863. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 3.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39 and a beta of 0.96. The company's 50-day moving average price is $172.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $162.57. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a twelve month low of $127.86 and a twelve month high of $183.18.

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

MSA Safety Incorporporated Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. MSA Safety Incorporporated's dividend payout ratio is 30.24%.

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

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.