Bessemer Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 5.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 100,166 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 5,375 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.25% of MSA Safety worth $19,392,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 51.2% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 183 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 0.4% in the first quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 17,756 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,437,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 28.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 336 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 50.7% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 306 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in MSA Safety by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,522 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,958,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, William Blair raised MSA Safety to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $189.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MSA Safety news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.29, for a total transaction of $2,038,190.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 56,800 shares in the company, valued at $10,524,472. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

MSA Safety stock traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $191.68. 45,829 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 151,410. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.55 billion, a PE ratio of 28.44 and a beta of 0.99. MSA Safety Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $147.35 and a fifty-two week high of $200.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $185.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $182.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 2.51.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $462.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.30 million. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 31.51% and a net margin of 14.81%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.83 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. This is an increase from MSA Safety’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.22%.

MSA Safety Company 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.