Baillie Gifford & Co. Buys New Shares in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 77,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $13,126,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned about 0.20% of MSA Safety at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in MSA Safety in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its stake in MSA Safety by 71.7% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 297 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE MSA traded up $1.12 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $193.35. The company had a trading volume of 87,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 142,641. MSA Safety Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $122.57 and a fifty-two week high of $196.02. The firm has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 133.35 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $183.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.88 by $0.18. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 32.44% and a net margin of 3.28%. The business had revenue of $495.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $467.52 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. MSA Safety's payout ratio is presently 129.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 305 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.50, for a total transaction of $56,577.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,506 shares in the company, valued at approximately $650,363. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 4,099 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.75, for a total transaction of $761,389.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,593,850. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 305 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.50, for a total value of $56,577.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,506 shares in the company, valued at $650,363. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,504 shares of company stock worth $1,017,991. 6.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSA has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded MSA Safety from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on MSA Safety from $200.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $189.50.

About MSA Safety

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.