MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) shares reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $142.20 and last traded at $144.55, with a volume of 964 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.66.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

MSA Safety Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $158.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79. The stock has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a PE ratio of 20.03 and a beta of 0.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.29%.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in MSA Safety by 78.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 120.6% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 97.6% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in MSA Safety by 81.3% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its position in MSA Safety by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.