Trexquant Investment LP Purchases New Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 17,876 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,018,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSA. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,960,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 227,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,382,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,944,000. abrdn plc increased its position in shares of MSA Safety by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 233,346 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,396,000 after purchasing an additional 9,949 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,802,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $599,481,000 after buying an additional 14,236 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

NYSE:MSA traded down $1.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $187.63. 96,439 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 165,245. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $188.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.80 and a beta of 1.01. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52-week low of $136.43 and a 52-week high of $196.02.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.14. MSA Safety had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 31.51%. The firm had revenue of $413.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $428.38 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.36 EPS. MSA Safety’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This is a boost from MSA Safety’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of MSA Safety from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $189.50.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety

In related news, Director Rebecca B. Roberts sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.84, for a total transaction of $200,024.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,474 shares in the company, valued at $1,540,912.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other MSA Safety news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 4,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.75, for a total transaction of $761,389.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,593,850. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rebecca B. Roberts sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.84, for a total value of $200,024.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,540,912.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,504 shares of company stock worth $3,056,181 in the last three months. 6.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MSA Safety Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated develops, manufactures, and supplies safety products and technology solutions that protect people and facility infrastructures in the fire service, energy, utility, construction, and industrial manufacturing applications, as well as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration industries worldwide.