APG Asset Management N.V. Sells 1,949,047 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

APG Asset Management N.V. decreased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 51.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,840,578 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,949,047 shares during the quarter. MSA Safety makes up about 0.8% of APG Asset Management N.V.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. APG Asset Management N.V.’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $294,652,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in MSA Safety by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 6,439 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,147,000 after buying an additional 1,191 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 2.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,691,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $299,939,000 after purchasing an additional 40,569 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 78.7% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 9,671 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,715,000 after purchasing an additional 4,259 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the third quarter valued at approximately $198,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 62.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,959,000 after buying an additional 6,384 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Trading Down 3.2 %

NYSE MSA opened at $129.89 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12 month low of $127.86 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The company has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.02 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.41.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. Research analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is presently 28.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MSA. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $197.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $584,007. This trade represents 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. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.