MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday. The stock had previously closed at $186.44, but opened at $173.10. MSA Safety Incorporporated shares last traded at $175.0770, with a volume of 35,717 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson set a $223.00 price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $197.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $211.33.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a PE ratio of 21.70 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 3.24.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The industrial products company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09. The firm had revenue of $536.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $528.39 million. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 25.13% and a net margin of 16.13%. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.77 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.87%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Nishan Vartanian sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.99, for a total value of $3,879,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 50,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,762,352.76. This represents a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 109.3% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 157 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 74.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 174 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 623.3% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 217 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) develops and manufactures safety products and systems designed to protect workers and facility operations. Its offerings include industrial and firefighter helmets, eye and face protection, hearing protection, respiratory protection, protective clothing, and fall-protection equipment.

The company also provides portable and fixed gas-detection systems, flame detection and suppression technologies, thermal imaging cameras, and related software and services.