Barclays PLC Grows Stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Barclays PLC grew its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 62.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 6,384 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $2,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $198,000. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in MSA Safety by 78.7% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 9,671 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,715,000 after buying an additional 4,259 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in MSA Safety by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,691,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $299,939,000 after acquiring an additional 40,569 shares in the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 88.6% in the 3rd quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,135 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of MSA Safety by 690.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

MSA opened at $168.94 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $6.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.41 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $171.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.68. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52-week low of $160.02 and a 52-week high of $200.60.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $432.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $449.95 million. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 29.14%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Finally, B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MSA Safety has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $202.50.

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.