Prudential Financial Inc. Sells 175 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 175 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MSA. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth about $1,131,000. Redmond Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $362,000. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in MSA Safety by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,694 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,356 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $70,345,000 after purchasing an additional 6,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in MSA Safety by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 124,041 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,468,000 after buying an additional 26,470 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $197.00.

MSA Safety Stock Up 8.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MSA opened at $143.57 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.91 and a beta of 0.97. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12-month low of $127.86 and a 12-month high of $200.61. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

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

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the 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 accessible through this link. 6.20% of the stock is owned by 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.