Amalgamated Bank Sells 4,140 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

Amalgamated Bank decreased its position in MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 17.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,144 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,140 shares during the quarter. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $3,900,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of MSA Safety by 51.2% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in MSA Safety by 28.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 336 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in MSA Safety by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 16,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,550,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its position in MSA Safety by 50.7% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 306 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its position in MSA Safety by 2.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 6,136 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $967,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Stock Performance

MSA Safety stock traded down $1.51 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $187.63. 96,439 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 165,245. The firm has a market cap of $7.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.80 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $188.92 and a 200 day moving average of $177.35. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 12 month low of $136.43 and a 12 month high of $196.02.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.14. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 31.51% and a net margin of 14.81%. The company had revenue of $413.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $428.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.36 earnings per share. MSA Safety’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. This is a boost from MSA Safety’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. MSA Safety’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 56,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,524,472. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Jonathan D. Buck sold 305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.50, for a total value of $56,577.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,506 shares in the company, valued at $650,363. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 11,000 shares of the company’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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 16,504 shares of company stock valued at $3,056,181. 6.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.