Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 36,506 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 373,548 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 36,506 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated were worth $64,278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 60.3% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $428,000 after purchasing an additional 936 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH purchased a new position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the third quarter valued at about $375,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 354.5% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 23,592 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,059,000 after buying an additional 18,401 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.5% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,049 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,901,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its position in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 156,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,893,000 after acquiring an additional 3,600 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSA opened at $184.15 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $168.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 3.08 and a quick ratio of 1.86. The company has a market capitalization of $7.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.97 and a beta of 0.98. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 1-year low of $127.86 and a 1-year high of $185.54.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s payout ratio is 29.90%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 333 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.00, for a total transaction of $53,613.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $713,874. This represents a 6.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSA has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile

MSA Safety Incorporated develops, manufactures and supplies a wide range of safety products designed to protect workers in hazardous environments. The company’s offerings span personal protective equipment such as industrial helmets, face shields, protective clothing and fall protection devices, as well as fixed and portable gas detection and monitoring systems. MSA’s products are used in industries including oil and gas, mining, construction, fire service, and chemical processing to guard against risks such as gas leaks, impacts, flame exposure and falls from height.

Key product lines include self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and air-purifying respirators, gas detectors and sensors, head and face protection, and fall arrest systems.