MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Stock Crosses Below 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $178.13 and traded as low as $176.01. MSA Safety Incorporporated shares last traded at $177.1330, with a volume of 235,605 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MSA shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. DA Davidson set a $223.00 price objective on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. B. Riley Financial lowered MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $210.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen cut MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $197.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $211.33.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Down 1.1%

The stock has a market cap of $6.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.03 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 3.24. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.13.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.26. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 25.13%. The company had revenue of $503.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.27 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.93 earnings per share. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.87%.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety Incorporporated

In other MSA Safety Incorporporated news, CAO Jonathan Buck sold 469 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.00, for a total transaction of $89,579.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $721,216. This represents a 11.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Nishan Vartanian sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.99, for a total value of $3,879,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 50,324 shares in the company, valued at $9,762,352.76. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety Incorporporated

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Giverny Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,034,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 15,958.9% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 102,456 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $16,798,000 after purchasing an additional 101,818 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2,490.2% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 89,517 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $15,628,000 after buying an additional 86,061 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 42.5% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 218,070 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,752,000 after buying an additional 65,002 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 56.6% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 161,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,395,000 after buying an additional 58,220 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) develops and manufactures safety products and systems designed to protect workers and facility operations. Its offerings include industrial and firefighter helmets, eye and face protection, hearing protection, respiratory protection, protective clothing, and fall-protection equipment.

The company also provides portable and fixed gas-detection systems, flame detection and suppression technologies, thermal imaging cameras, and related software and services.