Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Increases Stake in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 3,558 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned about 0.07% of MSA Safety worth $4,853,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in MSA Safety by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 227,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,382,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc grew its stake in MSA Safety by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 233,346 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,396,000 after purchasing an additional 9,949 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd acquired a new stake in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth about $1,956,000. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 4,160 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $702,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rebecca B. Roberts sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.84, for a total transaction of $200,024.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,540,912.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Rebecca B. Roberts sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.84, for a total transaction of $200,024.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,540,912.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 4,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.75, for a total value of $761,389.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 67,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,593,850. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,504 shares of company stock worth $1,017,991. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MSA Safety Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MSA opened at $188.78 on Friday. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12-month low of $122.57 and a 12-month high of $196.02. The company has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a PE ratio of 130.19 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50 day moving average of $186.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $172.72.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.18. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 32.44% and a net margin of 3.28%. The business had revenue of $495.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $467.52 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.56 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.