MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $147.77 and last traded at $148.07, with a volume of 176569 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on MSA. DA Davidson assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $197.00.

MSA Safety Trading Down 2.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $5.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day moving average of $159.49 and a 200-day moving average of $167.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.79.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. Analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.29%.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in MSA Safety by 99.2% in the 4th quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,354,310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $224,504,000 after buying an additional 674,560 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,693,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,131,515 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $187,573,000 after acquiring an additional 271,264 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth $43,689,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in MSA Safety by 554.3% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 284,552 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,170,000 after purchasing an additional 241,061 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.