Virtu Financial LLC Sells 2,752 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Virtu Financial LLC lowered its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 61.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,726 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,752 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. APG Asset Management US Inc. bought a new position in shares of MSA Safety during the 4th quarter worth $69,067,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MSA Safety during the 4th quarter valued at about $68,252,000. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $63,771,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,132,779 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $336,233,000 after purchasing an additional 87,707 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,126,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of MSA Safety stock opened at $186.70 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.35 billion, a PE ratio of 27.66 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety Incorporated has a one year low of $147.35 and a one year high of $196.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 2.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.94.

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

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a positive change from MSA Safety’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is presently 30.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of MSA Safety from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd.

Insider Activity

In other MSA Safety news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.29, for a total transaction of $2,038,190.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 56,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,524,472. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.20% 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.