Norges Bank Takes $72.69 Million Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 438,520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,693,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.12% of MSA Safety at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,689,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth $29,894,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in 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 valued at $331,503,000 after purchasing an additional 173,210 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 27.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 781,705 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $138,658,000 after purchasing an additional 169,168 shares during the period. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 34.2% during the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 590,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $97,923,000 after purchasing an additional 150,402 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of MSA Safety stock opened at $149.77 on Thursday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $144.12 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 50 day moving average price of $158.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $166.49. The company has a market cap of $5.88 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77 and a beta of 0.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is 28.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

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.