Brokerages Set MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Price Target at $202.50

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) has been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the five ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $202.50.

MSA has been the topic of several research reports. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Finally, B. Riley started coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of MSA Safety by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 45,334 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,509,000 after buying an additional 4,497 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,131,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $795,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in MSA Safety by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 738,951 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $138,695,000 after purchasing an additional 22,979 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in MSA Safety during the 2nd quarter worth $2,322,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE MSA opened at $163.79 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. MSA Safety has a fifty-two week low of $153.79 and a fifty-two week high of $200.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $169.66 and a 200-day moving average of $175.15. The stock has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.67 and a beta of 1.00.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $432.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $449.95 million. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 29.14% and a net margin of 15.16%. The business’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that MSA Safety will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is currently 29.48%.

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.