MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Shares Bought by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 32.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,172 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 772 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 985.1% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 803 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares during the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 2.5% during the third quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 70,160 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,439,000 after buying an additional 1,724 shares in the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 11.3% in the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 23,201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,114,000 after buying an additional 2,363 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MSA Safety by 397.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $238,000 after acquiring an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MSA Safety by 43.5% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 440,316 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $78,086,000 after acquiring an additional 133,373 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of MSA Safety from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. B. Riley assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company.

MSA Safety Price Performance

NYSE MSA opened at $172.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.86 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.95. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52-week low of $160.02 and a 52-week high of $200.60.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 29.14%. The company had revenue of $432.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $449.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.48%.

MSA Safety 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.