Victory Capital Management Inc. Trims Holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 28.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 62,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 25,195 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of MSA Safety worth $10,321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 21,267 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,771,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,190 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 1.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,060 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its stake in MSA Safety by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson assumed coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective 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, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.00.

MSA Safety Trading Down 0.7 %

MSA opened at $149.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12 month low of $148.59 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $161.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.99.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced 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 net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 28.64%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.29%.

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.