Analysts Set MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Target Price at $191.80

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $191.80.

MSA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of MSA Safety from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of MSA Safety from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price target on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Monday, May 5th.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSA opened at $159.15 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $149.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $160.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. MSA Safety has a 12 month low of $127.86 and a 12 month high of $200.61.

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

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors 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. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MSA Safety news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $4,839,600.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 35,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. This represents a 45.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company’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 owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 44.7% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 4,401 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $646,000 after purchasing an additional 1,359 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 3,400.0% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 175 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in MSA Safety in the first quarter worth about $367,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in MSA Safety in the first quarter worth about $757,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety in the first quarter worth about $501,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

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.