MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Buy" from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $194.20.

Separately, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of MSA Safety from $175.00 to $161.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% during the 4th 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 holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 97.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in MSA Safety by 39.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 269 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew 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 during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of MSA stock traded down $1.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $152.12. 86,530 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 176,225. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $150.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $161.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79. MSA Safety has a 12 month low of $127.86 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09 and a beta of 0.97.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. On average, research analysts forecast that MSA Safety will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

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.