MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) Reaches New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $148.38 and last traded at $148.35, with a volume of 55344 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $150.56.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Finally, 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 research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $197.00.

MSA Safety Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $160.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.73. The company has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.79 and a beta of 0.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 869 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,799,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 78.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,190 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,060 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSA Safety Company Profile

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.