MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $142.20 and last traded at $144.55, with a volume of 964 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $149.66.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MSA shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, DA Davidson assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $197.00.

MSA Safety Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61 and a beta of 0.99. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $157.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $166.02.

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 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in MSA Safety by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 120.6% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 97.6% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 81.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.