Verition Fund Management LLC Buys New Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,148,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 198.8% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in MSA Safety by 486.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in MSA Safety by 985.1% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 803 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. Kowal Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety in the second quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of MSA Safety during the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, B. Riley initiated coverage on MSA Safety in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company.

MSA Safety Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:MSA opened at $176.06 on Friday. 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 Incorporated has a 1 year low of $160.02 and a 1 year high of $200.60. The company has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.44 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $171.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $178.44.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. MSA Safety had a net margin of 15.16% and a return on equity of 29.14%. The firm had revenue of $432.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $449.95 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.