MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Rating Lowered to Hold at Wall Street Zen

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

MSA has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of MSA stock opened at $193.75 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $170.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.06. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 52 week low of $127.86 and a 52 week high of $194.39. The stock has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.33 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSA Safety Incorporporated

In other news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.00, for a total value of $53,613.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $713,874. This trade represents a 6.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. purchased a new position in MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 2nd quarter valued at $158,997,000. M&G PLC boosted its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 5,607.2% during the second quarter. M&G PLC now owns 722,251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $121,338,000 after purchasing an additional 709,596 shares during the period. Madison Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in the fourth quarter worth about $90,999,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 4,827.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 338,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $58,230,000 after buying an additional 331,543 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated during the 2nd quarter valued at about $52,167,000. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

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.