Insider Selling: MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) CAO Sells 717 Shares of Stock

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE MSA traded up $2.15 during trading on Monday, hitting $160.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 55,704 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,362. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $153.79 and a 52 week high of $200.60. The firm has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.26 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $164.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

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

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is 28.29%.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 869 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 21,267 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,771,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,799,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,190 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MSA shares. DA Davidson started coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. 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 on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $197.00.

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.