DA Davidson Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) Stock

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) had its price target upped by equities researchers at DA Davidson from $186.00 to $235.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. DA Davidson’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 16.74% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. National Bank Financial set a $235.00 price objective on MSA Safety Incorporporated in a report on Wednesday. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.17.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:MSA traded down $0.84 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $201.31. 70,221 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 225,180. The firm has a market cap of $7.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.43 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $175.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $170.14. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 52-week low of $127.86 and a 52-week high of $208.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 3.01 and a quick ratio of 1.82.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.12. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 24.48% and a net margin of 14.88%.The business had revenue of $510.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $508.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.25 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.48, for a total value of $223,828.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $658,054.32. This represents a 25.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSA. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 824,620 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $141,892,000 after acquiring an additional 10,858 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.4% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 156,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,893,000 after purchasing an additional 3,600 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated during the third quarter valued at about $782,000. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the third quarter worth about $15,282,000. Finally, Southernsun Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated in the second quarter worth about $23,422,000. 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.