MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $202.50.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MSA shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Finally, B. Riley assumed coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock.

MSA Safety Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSA opened at $166.21 on Thursday. MSA Safety has a one year low of $160.02 and a one year high of $200.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.02 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.68.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.05. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 29.14% and a net margin of 15.16%. The firm had revenue of $432.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $449.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that MSA Safety will post 7.66 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.48%.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 690.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in MSA Safety by 985.1% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 803 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in MSA Safety during the third quarter worth $198,000. Finally, Kowal Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety during the second quarter worth $204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

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.