MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research 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 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $202.50.

Several research firms recently weighed in on MSA. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson began coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Finally, B. Riley started coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSA. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 45,334 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,509,000 after buying an additional 4,497 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth about $1,131,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in MSA Safety during the 2nd quarter worth about $795,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased 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 stake in shares of MSA Safety in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,322,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

MSA Safety stock 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 twelve month low of $153.79 and a twelve month high of $200.60. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $169.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.28. The company has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a PE ratio of 23.67 and a beta of 1.00.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $432.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $449.95 million. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 29.14% and a net margin of 15.16%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MSA Safety will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is 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.