Proficio Capital Partners LLC Invests $3.93 Million in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 23,705 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,930,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.06% of MSA Safety at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 120.6% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in MSA Safety by 97.6% during the 4th 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 during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 81.3% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MSA Safety Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of MSA Safety stock opened at $151.90 on Tuesday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 1 year low of $148.59 and a 1 year high of $200.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $160.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.47. The company has a market capitalization of $5.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07 and a beta of 0.99.

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

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.51 dividend. 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 1.34%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. 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 objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.00.

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.