MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Rating Lowered to Hold at Wall Street Zen

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. DA Davidson set a $223.00 price target on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. B. Riley Financial cut MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $210.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $197.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety Incorporporated has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $211.33.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated stock opened at $182.41 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $183.73 and a 200 day moving average of $175.87. The company has a market capitalization of $7.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.69 and a beta of 0.92. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a fifty-two week low of $151.10 and a fifty-two week high of $208.92.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety Incorporporated

In related news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.99, for a total value of $3,879,800.00. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 469 shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.00, for a total value of $89,579.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,776 shares in the company, valued at $721,216. This represents a 11.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MSA Safety Incorporporated

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MSA. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 7.0% during the third quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 1,228 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 109.3% during 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 period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 2,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group raised its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,783 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.