MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• MSA Safety Incorporporated has been upgraded from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, indicating positive sentiment among analysts.
• The stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $189.20, reflecting mixed ratings among researchers.
• MSA reported $1.93 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates and showing a revenue increase of 2.5% year-over-year.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. B. Riley reissued a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson increased their price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $182.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Performance

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated stock traded down $0.7750 on Friday, hitting $170.5050. The stock had a trading volume of 159,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,293. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a twelve month low of $127.86 and a twelve month high of $187.41. The business's 50 day moving average is $172.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.32 and a beta of 0.96.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.17. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 26.03% and a net margin of 15.15%.The company had revenue of $474.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.46 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.01 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. MSA Safety Incorporporated's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.24%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety Incorporporated

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 57.1% during the first quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 4,881 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $716,000 after purchasing an additional 1,775 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 39.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 269 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.0% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,074 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,265,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated during the first quarter worth $1,273,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 13.2% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,418 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $12,090,000 after purchasing an additional 9,593 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.