Key Points
- Insider sale: CAO Jonathan Buck sold 1,100 shares on Feb. 17 at an average price of $203.48 for $223,828, reducing his stake by 25.38% to 3,234 shares (valued ~ $658,054).
- Quarterly beat: MSA reported $2.38 EPS vs. $2.26 expected and revenue of $510.9M vs. $508.6M, with a net margin of 14.88% and analysts forecasting ~8.06 EPS for the year.
- Market and analyst snapshot: Shares trade near $200 (market cap ~$7.76B), the company pays a $0.53 quarterly dividend (≈1.1% yield), and the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $202.17.
MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) CAO Jonathan Buck sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total value of $223,828.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,234 shares in the company, valued at $658,054.32. This trade represents a 25.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
MSA Safety Incorporporated Price Performance
Shares of MSA stock opened at $200.01 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.25 and a beta of 0.98. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 12 month low of $127.86 and a 12 month high of $208.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 3.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $176.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.34.
MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $510.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $508.62 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 14.88% and a return on equity of 24.48%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. Research analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.
MSA Safety Incorporporated Cuts Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. MSA Safety Incorporporated's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.94%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.3% during the third quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 824,620 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $141,892,000 after purchasing an additional 10,858 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.4% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 156,293 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,893,000 after buying an additional 3,600 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the third quarter worth about $782,000. Alps Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $15,282,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 449,136 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $75,244,000 after purchasing an additional 28,481 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. National Bank Financial set a $235.00 target price on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. B. Riley Financial reissued a "buy" rating on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $202.17.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MSA Safety Incorporporated
MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
MSA Safety Incorporated develops, manufactures and supplies a wide range of safety products designed to protect workers in hazardous environments. The company's offerings span personal protective equipment such as industrial helmets, face shields, protective clothing and fall protection devices, as well as fixed and portable gas detection and monitoring systems. MSA's products are used in industries including oil and gas, mining, construction, fire service, and chemical processing to guard against risks such as gas leaks, impacts, flame exposure and falls from height.
Key product lines include self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and air-purifying respirators, gas detectors and sensors, head and face protection, and fall arrest systems.
Further Reading
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
