Edgestream Partners L.P. Grows Stock Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 100.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,779 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,462 shares during the quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. owned approximately 0.11% of MSA Safety worth $7,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth $43,689,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth about $29,894,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in MSA Safety by 27.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 781,705 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $138,658,000 after acquiring an additional 169,168 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in MSA Safety by 34.2% during the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 590,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $97,923,000 after acquiring an additional 150,402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,691,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $299,939,000 after acquiring an additional 40,569 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSA. DA Davidson started coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $197.00.

MSA Safety Stock Down 0.8 %

MSA stock opened at $158.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.21 billion, a PE ratio of 21.95 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety Incorporated has a one year low of $153.79 and a one year high of $200.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $162.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.82.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About MSA Safety

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.