Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Cuts Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 503 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $3,442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,694 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter worth about $3,930,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 767,634 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $127,251,000 after purchasing an additional 17,052 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 45,089 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,474,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 81.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $584,007. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MSA Safety Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSA opened at $159.43 on Thursday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $153.79 and a fifty-two week high of $200.60. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $162.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a PE ratio of 22.11 and a beta of 1.00.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.