AIA Group Ltd Has $3.62 Million Holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

AIA Group Ltd trimmed its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 21,829 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,372 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $3,619,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MSA. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth $72,693,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth $43,689,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,894,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,999,779 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $331,503,000 after buying an additional 173,210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 781,705 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $138,658,000 after acquiring an additional 169,168 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction 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 $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of MSA stock opened at $148.07 on Monday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12 month low of $147.74 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $159.17 and a 200-day moving average of $167.00.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. On average, equities analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.