MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $195.13 and last traded at $195.02, with a volume of 164346 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $193.13.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSA has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $171.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.19. The firm has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.51 and a beta of 0.98.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s payout ratio is 29.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.00, for a total transaction of $53,613.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $713,874. This trade represents a 6.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSA Safety Incorporporated

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MSA. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 824,620 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $141,892,000 after purchasing an additional 10,858 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.4% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 156,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,893,000 after buying an additional 3,600 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in MSA Safety Incorporporated during the third quarter worth about $782,000. Southernsun Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in MSA Safety Incorporporated during the second quarter worth about $23,422,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 6.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 449,136 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $75,244,000 after buying an additional 28,481 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated develops, manufactures and supplies a wide range of safety products designed to protect workers in hazardous environments. The company’s offerings span personal protective equipment such as industrial helmets, face shields, protective clothing and fall protection devices, as well as fixed and portable gas detection and monitoring systems. MSA’s products are used in industries including oil and gas, mining, construction, fire service, and chemical processing to guard against risks such as gas leaks, impacts, flame exposure and falls from height.

Key product lines include self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and air-purifying respirators, gas detectors and sensors, head and face protection, and fall arrest systems.