Natixis Increases Holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Natixis grew its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) by 1,255,000.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,102 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,100 shares during the quarter. Natixis owned about 0.06% of MSA Safety worth $4,161,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MSA. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,883,844 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $643,825,000 after buying an additional 22,190 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,999,779 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $331,503,000 after purchasing an additional 173,210 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 99.2% in the fourth quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,354,310 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $224,504,000 after purchasing an additional 674,560 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 806,438 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $133,718,000 after purchasing an additional 24,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 767,634 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $127,251,000 after purchasing an additional 17,052 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSA Safety Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MSA traded up $0.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $153.66. 227,399 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 176,553. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $150.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $161.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31 and a beta of 0.97. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12-month low of $127.86 and a 12-month high of $200.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.76.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. On average, research analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of MSA Safety from $175.00 to $161.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $194.20.

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.