Short Interest in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Expands By 23.4%

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 615,600 shares, a growth of 23.4% from the March 31st total of 499,000 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 198,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on MSA shares. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on MSA Safety from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MSA Safety from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 target price on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Monday. Three investment 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $191.80.

MSA Safety Price Performance

Shares of MSA stock remained flat at $155.71 during trading hours on Tuesday. 295,053 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 178,860. The business's 50-day moving average price is $149.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $161.19. 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 1-year low of $127.86 and a 1-year high of $200.61. The stock has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.60 and a beta of 0.96.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. The company had revenue of $421.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $402.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. MSA Safety's revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that MSA Safety will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. This is a boost from MSA Safety's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. MSA Safety's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 99.2% during the 4th quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,354,310 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $224,504,000 after purchasing an additional 674,560 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,693,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in MSA Safety by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,131,515 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $187,573,000 after buying an additional 271,264 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,689,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of MSA Safety by 554.3% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 284,552 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,170,000 after acquiring an additional 241,061 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.

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.