Contrasting WISeKey International (NASDAQ:WKEY) and MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA)

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) and WISeKey International (NASDAQ:WKEY) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and risk.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares MSA Safety Incorporporated and WISeKey International”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MSA Safety Incorporporated	$1.81 billion	3.71	$284.97 million	$7.25	23.53
WISeKey International	$11.88 million	4.00	-$13.45 million	N/A	N/A

MSA Safety Incorporporated has higher revenue and earnings than WISeKey International.

Profitability

This table compares MSA Safety Incorporporated and WISeKey International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MSA Safety Incorporporated	15.77%	27.65%	13.77%
WISeKey International	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional and Insider Ownership

92.5% of MSA Safety Incorporporated shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.3% of WISeKey International shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of MSA Safety Incorporporated shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 33.5% of WISeKey International shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

MSA Safety Incorporporated has a beta of 0.95, indicating that its share price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, WISeKey International has a beta of 1.51, indicating that its share price is 51% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for MSA Safety Incorporporated and WISeKey International, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MSA Safety Incorporporated	0	2	3	0	2.60
WISeKey International	0	0	1	0	3.00

MSA Safety Incorporporated presently has a consensus price target of $191.80, suggesting a potential upside of 12.44%. WISeKey International has a consensus price target of $4.00, suggesting a potential downside of 31.27%. Given MSA Safety Incorporporated’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe MSA Safety Incorporporated is more favorable than WISeKey International.

Summary

MSA Safety Incorporporated beats WISeKey International on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

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. The company's core product offerings include fixed gas and flame detection systems, such as gas detection monitoring systems, and flame detectors and open-path infrared gas detectors; breathing apparatus products, including self-contained breathing apparatus; hand-held portable gas detection instruments to detect the presence or absence of various gases in the air; industrial head protection products; firefighter helmets and protective apparel; and fall protection equipment, such as confined space equipment, harnesses, lanyards, and self-retracting lifelines, as well as engineered systems. In addition, the company offers air-purifying respirators, eye and face protection products, ballistic helmets, and gas masks. It serves distributors and end-users through indirect and direct sales channels. The company offers its products under the V-Gard, Cairns, and Gallet brand names. MSA Safety Incorporated was founded in 1914 and is based in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.

About WISeKey International

WISeKey International Holding AG, a cybersecurity company, provides integrated security solutions in Switzerland, rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates in two segments, IoT and Managed Public Key Infrastructure (mPKI). It offers microcontrollers that provides identity to various connected devices; and mPKI, which include digital identity, certificate management and signing solutions, and trust services, as well as offers digital certificates; software as a service, including cloud-based certificate life-cycle-management and signing and authentication solutions; software licenses; post-contract customer support for cybersecurity applications; and infrastructure hosting and monitoring services. The company also develops, markets, hosts, and supports a range of solutions that enable secure digital identification of people, content, and objects by generating digital identities through its products and services in cybersecurity services, IoT, digital brand management, and mobile security, which enable clients to monetize their existing user bases, as well as expand its eco-system. In addition, it engages in financing, sales, and distribution activities; and sells semiconductors secure chips. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland.