Zacks Investment Research Upgrades MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) to “Buy”

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA – Get Rating) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports. The firm presently has a $144.00 target price on the industrial products company’s stock. Zacks Investment Research‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 11.14% from the company’s current price.

According to Zacks, “MSA Safety Inc. is engaged in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures. The company’s core product lines include self-contained breathing apparatus, fixed gas and flame detection systems, handheld gas detection instruments, industrial and fire service head protection products and fall protection devices. It serves a broad range of industries, including the oil, gas and petrochemical industry, the fire service, construction, mining and general industry. MSA Safety Inc., formerly known as Mine Safety Appliances Company, is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. “

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on MSA. TheStreet lowered shares of MSA Safety from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research note on Friday, February 18th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of MSA Safety in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $163.20.

Shares of NYSE:MSA opened at $129.57 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $126.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.14. MSA Safety has a 12 month low of $115.10 and a 12 month high of $169.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 287.94 and a beta of 0.93.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 27th. The industrial products company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.15. MSA Safety had a net margin of 1.27% and a return on equity of 22.48%. The firm had revenue of $330.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $326.50 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSA Safety will post 5.22 EPS for the current year.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MSA. CWM LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Covestor Ltd purchased a new stake in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. purchased a new stake in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Consolidated Planning Corp purchased a new stake in MSA Safety during the third quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC purchased a new stake in MSA Safety during the fourth quarter worth about $71,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.23% of the company’s stock.

MSA Safety Company Profile (Get Rating)

MSA Safety Incorporated develops, manufactures, and supplies safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures in the oil, gas, petrochemical, fire service, construction, industrial manufacturing applications, utilities, military, and mining industries in North America, Latin America, and internationally.

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