Cooke & Bieler LP Sells 47,127 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA

Cooke & Bieler LP decreased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 678,102 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 47,127 shares during the quarter. MSA Safety Incorporporated makes up about 1.8% of Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated were worth $120,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 109.3% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 157 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the second quarter worth $27,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 74.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 174 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire bought a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 623.3% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 217 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety Incorporporated

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSA has been the topic of several recent research reports. DA Davidson set a $223.00 target price on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $197.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lowered MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $210.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $211.33.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated stock opened at $183.52 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $183.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $175.62. The company has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.83 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 1 year low of $151.10 and a 1 year high of $208.92.

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. The business had revenue of $503.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.27 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 25.13%. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.93 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Dividend Announcement

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

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

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.