KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $1.77 Million in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 10,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,774,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,131,000. Redmond Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth $362,000. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 1,694 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in MSA Safety by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,356 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $70,345,000 after purchasing an additional 6,119 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 124,041 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,468,000 after purchasing an additional 26,470 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were 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 approximately $584,007. This 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 owned by insiders.

MSA Safety Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:MSA opened at $151.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.08 and a beta of 0.99. 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 Incorporated has a one year low of $148.23 and a one year high of $200.61. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $159.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $167.22.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSA has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.