Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. Makes New $1.97 Million Investment in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 11,858 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,966,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter worth $72,693,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth about $43,689,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,894,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,999,779 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $331,503,000 after buying an additional 173,210 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 169,168 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Trading Down 1.0 %

MSA opened at $146.55 on Tuesday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $146.01 and a 52 week 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $158.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.82. The firm has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33 and a beta of 0.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on MSA shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson started coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.00.

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.