Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 760,794 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 4,734 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.94% of MSA Safety worth $126,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in MSA Safety by 78.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 120.6% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in MSA Safety by 97.6% in the 4th 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 during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in MSA Safety by 81.3% during the 4th 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, Hilltop National Bank raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of MSA traded up $2.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $157.82. 28,000 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 193,494. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $127.86 and a 52 week high of $200.60. The company has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.89 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.59. 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 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 analysts' expectations 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 last year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MSA shares. B. Riley reissued a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on MSA Safety from $175.00 to $161.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $193.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was 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 owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MSA Safety 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.