MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• MSA Safety Incorporated has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from analysts, with three hold ratings and two buy ratings among the five brokerages covering the stock.
• The average 12-month price target for MSA shares is $189.20, with recent price targets ranging from $166.00 to $203.00 set by various analysts.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share, marking a positive change from the previous $0.51 and representing a yield of 1.2% based on its annualized dividend.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $189.20.

MSA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $182.00 target price for the company. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 target price on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, B. Riley reissued a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Thursday, May 1st.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Down 1.5%

MSA traded down $2.71 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $175.16. The company had a trading volume of 220,561 shares, compared to its average volume of 175,110. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 52 week low of $127.86 and a 52 week high of $187.41. 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 company has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.16 and a beta of 0.96. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $169.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $160.22.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 27.65%. The firm had revenue of $421.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $402.60 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from MSA Safety Incorporporated's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. MSA Safety Incorporporated's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSA Safety Incorporporated news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $4,839,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 35,401 shares in the company, valued at $5,710,889.32. The trade was a 45.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety Incorporporated

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 3,400.0% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 175 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 54.4% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 115.4% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 682 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.