Pier Capital LLC Acquires 2,162 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Pier Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,702 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,162 shares during the quarter. MSA Safety comprises 1.4% of Pier Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Pier Capital LLC’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $10,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in MSA Safety by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,799,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 78.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of MSA Safety by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,190 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,060 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its position in MSA Safety by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. DA Davidson started coverage on MSA Safety in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of MSA Safety from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $197.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $114,003.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,673 shares in the company, valued at $584,007. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Trading Up 0.9 %

MSA stock opened at $151.15 on Tuesday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12 month low of $148.23 and a 12 month high of $200.61. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $160.11 and its 200 day moving average is $167.54. The company has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a PE ratio of 20.96 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.76.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 28.64% and a net margin of 15.76%. On average, research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is currently 28.29%.

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.