Channing Capital Management LLC Grows Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Channing Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 480,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,758 shares during the period. MSA Safety accounts for 2.1% of Channing Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Channing Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $79,602,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in MSA Safety by 120.6% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 97.6% in 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. lifted its stake 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 valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company’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 value of $114,003.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MSA Safety Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE MSA opened at $155.66 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.59 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $153.79 and a 52 week high of $200.61.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on MSA. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $197.00.

About MSA Safety

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.