Robert W. Baird Has Lowered Expectations for MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) Stock Price

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) had its target price cut by Robert W. Baird from $175.00 to $161.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price points to a potential upside of 11.22% from the stock’s previous close.

Separately, DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $194.20.

MSA Safety Price Performance

Shares of MSA stock opened at $144.76 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $153.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $163.58. MSA Safety has a 52-week low of $127.86 and a 52-week high of $200.61. 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 has a market capitalization of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.08 and a beta of 0.97.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MSA Safety will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MSA Safety

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,883,844 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $643,825,000 after purchasing an additional 22,190 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,999,779 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $331,503,000 after buying an additional 173,210 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in MSA Safety by 99.2% during the fourth quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,354,310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $224,504,000 after acquiring an additional 674,560 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in MSA Safety by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,131,515 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $187,573,000 after acquiring an additional 271,264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 806,438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $133,718,000 after acquiring an additional 24,733 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Company 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.