MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Short Interest Up 21.1% in February

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 417,200 shares, an increase of 21.1% from the February 13th total of 344,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 169,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in MSA Safety by 78.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 120.6% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 97.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 81.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Up 0.2 %

MSA Safety stock traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $151.73. The company had a trading volume of 192,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 155,278. The stock has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.04 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety has a 1 year low of $148.59 and a 1 year high of $200.61. The business has a fifty day moving average of $160.81 and a 200 day moving average of $168.25. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that MSA Safety will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About MSA Safety

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.