MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $153.25 and last traded at $154.12, with a volume of 9348 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $155.47.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on MSA. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $197.00.

MSA Safety Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.89 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day moving average of $161.80 and a 200-day moving average of $169.13. 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 (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the 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 directly owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSA Safety

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the 4th quarter valued at $237,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 25,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,298,000 after purchasing an additional 2,541 shares in the last quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 954.1% in the fourth quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 59,957 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,930,000 after purchasing an additional 54,269 shares in the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth $230,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 275.1% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 89,929 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,908,000 after acquiring an additional 65,953 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.