Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires Shares of 30,368 MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Van ECK Associates Corp bought a new position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 30,368 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,034,000. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.08% of MSA Safety as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of MSA Safety by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 21,267 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,771,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 1.3% in the third quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 5,418 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $961,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 4.3% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,052 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $364,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of MSA Safety by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,060 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MSA Safety Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of MSA stock opened at $159.88 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $165.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $171.28. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $153.79 and a 52 week high of $200.60. The stock has a market cap of $6.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.10 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 29.14% and a net margin of 15.16%. Analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is 29.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $197.00.

MSA Safety 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.