MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 226,100 shares, a decrease of 27.0% from the August 15th total of 309,600 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 157,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MSA shares. William Blair raised shares of MSA Safety to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on MSA Safety from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 3,945 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.00, for a total value of $745,605.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 31,953 shares in the company, valued at $6,039,117. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MSA Safety

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in MSA Safety by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,826,135 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $645,966,000 after buying an additional 23,526 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in MSA Safety by 3.0% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 770,641 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $144,642,000 after acquiring an additional 22,366 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in MSA Safety by 3.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 738,951 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $138,695,000 after purchasing an additional 22,979 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in MSA Safety by 12.2% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 718,969 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $139,186,000 after purchasing an additional 77,960 shares during the period. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 7.6% during the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 707,534 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $136,972,000 after purchasing an additional 49,670 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

MSA opened at $176.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $181.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $184.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety has a 12-month low of $147.35 and a 12-month high of $200.60.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $462.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.30 million. MSA Safety had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 30.64%. On average, equities analysts forecast that MSA Safety will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is presently 30.22%.

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.