Baird Financial Group Inc. Has $307,000 Holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated $MSA

Baird Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) by 5.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,096 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 126 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in MSA Safety Incorporporated were worth $307,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSA. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 28.4% in 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 buying an additional 384,365 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 33.9% in the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 790,939 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $116,023,000 after purchasing an additional 200,221 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated by 241.6% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 148,212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $24,569,000 after purchasing an additional 104,829 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in the first quarter worth $14,631,000. Finally, Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in the first quarter worth $10,894,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.17. MSA Safety Incorporporated had a net margin of 15.15% and a return on equity of 26.03%. The firm had revenue of $474.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.46 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given 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 is 30.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MSA. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of MSA Safety Incorporporated in a research report 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 report on Saturday, August 16th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on MSA Safety Incorporporated from $183.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $189.20.

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.