Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 211 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 17.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,960,000. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,944,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,802,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $599,481,000 after acquiring an additional 14,236 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in MSA Safety during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $461,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,278,000. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE:MSA opened at $188.78 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $186.97 and its 200-day moving average is $172.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.36. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $122.57 and a 52 week high of $196.02. The firm has a market cap of $7.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 130.19 and a beta of 1.01.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.18. MSA Safety had a net margin of 3.28% and a return on equity of 32.44%. The company had revenue of $495.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $467.52 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 4,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.75, for a total transaction of $761,389.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 67,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,593,850. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.50, for a total transaction of $56,577.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,506 shares in the company, valued at approximately $650,363. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 4,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.75, for a total transaction of $761,389.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 67,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,593,850. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 5,504 shares of company stock valued at $1,017,991. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of MSA Safety from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $189.50.

MSA Safety 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.