MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $191.80.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MSA. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Thursday, May 1st.

Insider Activity

In other MSA Safety Incorporporated news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $4,839,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 35,401 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. The trade was a 45.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 57.1% during 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,356 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $70,345,000 after buying an additional 6,119 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,074 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,265,000 after buying an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 1st quarter valued at $1,273,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 20,345.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 39,460 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,788,000 after buying an additional 39,267 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Up 1.1%

MSA Safety Incorporporated stock traded up $1.84 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $175.28. 134,312 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 188,437. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.18 and a beta of 0.95. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 12 month low of $127.86 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 2.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $164.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $159.00.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $421.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $402.60 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 27.65%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.61 EPS. Analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This is a boost from MSA Safety Incorporporated's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. MSA Safety Incorporporated's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.24%.

MSA Safety Incorporporated 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.