AIA Group Ltd Acquires 7,324 Shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA)

AIA Group Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) by 63.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,907 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,324 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in MSA Safety were worth $3,660,000 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. APG Asset Management US Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MSA Safety during the 4th quarter valued at about $69,067,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth approximately $68,252,000. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. bought a new position in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth approximately $63,771,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MSA Safety by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 293,205 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,502,000 after acquiring an additional 86,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new position in MSA Safety in the fourth quarter worth approximately $13,126,000. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:MSA traded up $1.29 on Friday, hitting $193.06. The stock had a trading volume of 121,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 152,490. The business’s fifty day moving average is $184.68 and its 200 day moving average is $180.98. The company has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 28.60 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. MSA Safety Incorporated has a 52 week low of $147.35 and a 52 week high of $196.02.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $413.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $428.38 million. MSA Safety had a return on equity of 31.51% and a net margin of 14.81%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.36 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that MSA Safety Incorporated will post 7.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSA Safety Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a boost from MSA Safety’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. MSA Safety’s payout ratio is presently 30.22%.

Insider Activity at MSA Safety

In related news, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 11,000 shares of MSA Safety stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.29, for a total transaction of $2,038,190.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 56,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,524,472. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 6.20% of the stock is owned by 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.