MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lessened its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,668 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 662 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $2,424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSA. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 486.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 690.5% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in MSA Safety by 985.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 803 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety during the 3rd quarter valued at about $198,000. Finally, Kowal Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSA Safety in the 2nd quarter valued at about $204,000. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSA has been the topic of several analyst reports. B. Riley assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $205.00.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE MSA opened at $168.94 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.41 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $172.29 and a 200 day moving average of $177.96. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. MSA Safety Incorporated has a twelve month low of $160.02 and a twelve month high of $200.60.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $432.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 posted $1.78 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.48%.

MSA Safety 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.