State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Sells 532 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D cut its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,573 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 532 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $2,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in MSA Safety by 198.8% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 486.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 985.1% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 803 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. Kowal Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in MSA Safety in the second quarter worth $204,000. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in MSA Safety in the second quarter valued at $206,000. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSA Safety Stock Down 2.4 %

MSA Safety stock opened at $172.74 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.32 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $173.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.11. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 1-year low of $160.02 and a 1-year high of $200.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $432.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $449.95 million. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 29.14%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. On average, 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of MSA Safety from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. B. Riley assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company.

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.