MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $202.50.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Finally, B. Riley started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its position in MSA Safety by 0.3% during the third quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 21,267 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,771,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 5,418 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $961,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,052 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $364,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of MSA Safety by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,060 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,429,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 1.6% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,845 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,307,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of MSA opened at $166.21 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $171.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.68. The stock has a market cap of $6.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.02 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety has a 12-month low of $160.02 and a 12-month 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $432.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $449.95 million. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 29.14% and a net margin of 15.16%. MSA Safety’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that MSA Safety will post 7.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.48%.

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.