Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 1,892 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 24.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,706 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,892 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $1,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at $1,131,000. Redmond Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at $362,000. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,694 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,356 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $70,345,000 after purchasing an additional 6,119 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 124,041 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,468,000 after purchasing an additional 26,470 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE:MSA opened at $151.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79. MSA Safety Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $148.59 and a fifty-two week high of $200.61. The company has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $160.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.47.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSA has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.00.

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.