MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Shares Sold by King Luther Capital Management Corp

King Luther Capital Management Corp lessened its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,055 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,671 shares during the quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $1,866,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MSA Safety in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in MSA Safety by 28.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 336 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

Shares of MSA stock traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $188.30. The stock had a trading volume of 5,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 141,071. The firm has a market cap of $7.42 billion, a PE ratio of 28.02 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $188.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.54. MSA Safety Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $136.43 and a fifty-two week high of $196.02.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $413.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $428.38 million. MSA Safety had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 31.51%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. This is an increase from MSA Safety’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.22%.

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

In other MSA Safety news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.29, for a total value of $2,038,190.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 56,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,524,472. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other MSA Safety news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 4,099 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.75, for a total value of $761,389.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,593,850. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.29, for a total value of $2,038,190.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 56,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,524,472. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 16,504 shares of company stock valued at $3,056,181 in the last ninety days. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised MSA Safety from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.50.

About MSA Safety

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.