ProShare Advisors LLC Grows Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 20.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 201,494 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,554 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.51% of MSA Safety worth $33,402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 78.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 120.6% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 97.6% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 81.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in MSA Safety by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 869 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

MSA opened at $158.57 on Friday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52-week low of $127.86 and a 52-week high of $200.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $6.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.99 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $149.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $160.75.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. The company had revenue of $421.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $402.60 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 EPS. MSA Safety’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This is an increase from MSA Safety’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is 29.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Nishan J. Vartanian sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $4,839,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 35,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,710,889.32. This represents a 45.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MSA Safety from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 10th. B. Riley reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of MSA Safety from $188.00 to $183.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $166.00 price objective on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $191.80.

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.