AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 4,717 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA

AQR Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) by 8.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,717 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.14% of MSA Safety Incorporporated worth $7,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 1.4% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,027,471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $297,410,000 after purchasing an additional 27,692 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 28.4% during the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,738,675 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $255,046,000 after purchasing an additional 384,365 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 33.9% during the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 790,939 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $116,023,000 after purchasing an additional 200,221 shares during the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 9.2% during the first quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 711,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $104,362,000 after purchasing an additional 60,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 2.8% during the first quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 493,655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,414,000 after purchasing an additional 13,460 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $182.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MSA Safety Incorporporated presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.20.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Stock Performance

NYSE MSA opened at $171.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $173.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $162.09. MSA Safety Incorporporated has a 1 year low of $127.86 and a 1 year high of $187.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.52 and a beta of 0.95.

MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.17. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a return on equity of 26.03% and a net margin of 15.15%.The company had revenue of $474.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.46 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that MSA Safety Incorporporated will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. MSA Safety Incorporporated’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.24%.

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

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.