MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA Shares Sold by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council trimmed its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) by 64.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,383 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 11,700 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated were worth $1,069,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 39.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 269 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1,330.4% in the first quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 33,143 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,862,000 after buying an additional 30,826 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 13.2% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,418 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,090,000 after buying an additional 9,593 shares during the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 3.5% in the first quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,163 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,491,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 0.9% in the first quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 11,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,614,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson raised their target price on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. They set a “hold” rating and a $182.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MSA Safety Incorporporated presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Performance

Shares of MSA opened at $157.40 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $168.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 22.20 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 52-week low of $127.86 and a 52-week high of $182.85.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.04. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 25.23%. The firm had revenue of $468.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $461.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.83 earnings per share. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $0.5625 dividend. This represents a $2.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from MSA Safety Incorporporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MSA Safety Incorporporated news, President Stephanie L. Sciullo sold 2,361 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.51, for a total value of $400,213.11. Following the sale, the president directly owned 9,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,539,659.33. The trade was a 20.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated 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.