MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Stock Holdings Lessened by Graham Capital Management L.P.

Graham Capital Management L.P. cut its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 15,913 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,265 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $2,638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in MSA Safety by 120.6% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in MSA Safety by 97.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 81.3% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of MSA opened at $157.37 on Friday. 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 $127.86 and a one year high of $200.61. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $149.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $160.89. The company has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.83 and a beta of 0.96.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $421.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $402.60 million. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from MSA Safety’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MSA shares. Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price objective on MSA Safety in a report on Monday, May 5th. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down previously from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of MSA Safety from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded MSA Safety from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.80.

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.