SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Raises Stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 120.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $37,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSA. Creative Planning boosted its position in MSA Safety by 5.3% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $398,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in MSA Safety by 397.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 1,072 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd boosted its position in MSA Safety by 11.3% in the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 23,201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,114,000 after buying an additional 2,363 shares during the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc boosted its position in MSA Safety by 2.5% in the third quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 70,160 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,439,000 after buying an additional 1,724 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in MSA Safety by 985.1% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 803 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 729 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE MSA opened at $157.75 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $162.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.69. MSA Safety Incorporated has a one year low of $153.79 and a one year high of $200.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79. The company has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.88 and a beta of 0.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. Research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value 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 $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.