MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $200.00.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MSA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings cut MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $180.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $235.00 target price on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety Incorporporated

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 39.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 47,391 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,953,000 after acquiring an additional 13,501 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the first quarter valued at approximately $501,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 44.7% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 4,401 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $646,000 after acquiring an additional 1,359 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 94.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 31.5% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,757 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Price Performance

Shares of MSA opened at $171.50 on Thursday. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 1 year low of $151.10 and a 1 year high of $208.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 1.92. The company has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.18 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50-day moving average of $169.87 and a 200-day moving average of $172.99.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.14. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 24.54% and a net margin of 15.16%.The company had revenue of $463.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $451.28 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire up to 6.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. This is an increase from MSA Safety Incorporporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s payout ratio is 29.19%.

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.