MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Position Increased by Anchor Capital Advisors LLC

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 18.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 10,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,694 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $1,774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in MSA Safety by 97.6% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 486.0% in the third 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 last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in MSA Safety by 81.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSA Safety Stock Up 1.1 %

MSA stock opened at $163.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.72 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $163.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.46. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52-week low of $153.79 and a 52-week high of $200.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.76.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is 28.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MSA shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. B. Riley initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. DA Davidson assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $197.00.

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.