MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Monday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on MSA. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $197.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. DA Davidson set a $223.00 target price on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. B. Riley Financial cut MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $210.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $211.33.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of MSA stock opened at $180.97 on Monday. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a fifty-two week low of $151.10 and a fifty-two week high of $208.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 3.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $183.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.51 and a beta of 0.94.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $503.33 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.27 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 25.13%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.93 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 9.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s payout ratio is presently 26.87%.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety Incorporporated

In other MSA Safety Incorporporated news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 20,000 shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.99, for a total transaction of $3,879,800.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 50,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,762,352.76. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 469 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.00, for a total transaction of $89,579.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,776 shares in the company, valued at $721,216. The trade was a 11.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety Incorporporated

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 3,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $486,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 109.3% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 157 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 39.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.2% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 8,755 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,435,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated during the second quarter worth $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

MSA Safety Incorporated develops and manufactures safety equipment and systems designed to protect people in hazardous work environments. Its products include industrial and fixed-gas detection instruments, respiratory protection equipment, hard hats and other head protection, eye and face protection, hearing protection, fall-protection systems, and connected safety technologies.

The company serves customers in industries such as construction, manufacturing, utilities, oil and gas, mining, and emergency response.