State of Alaska Department of Revenue Cuts Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue lessened its stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,544 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 85 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $1,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,131,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 23,385 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,147,000 after purchasing an additional 9,433 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 62.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,959,000 after purchasing an additional 6,384 shares in the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $759,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety in the 3rd quarter valued at about $737,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

MSA Safety Price Performance

MSA Safety stock opened at $163.16 on Thursday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12-month low of $153.79 and a 12-month high of $200.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.58 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $166.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $172.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

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

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.48%.

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.