MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) Raises Dividend to $0.51 Per Share

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.51 per share by the industrial products company on Monday, June 10th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This is a boost from MSA Safety’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47.

MSA Safety has increased its dividend payment by an average of 3.0% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 54 years. MSA Safety has a payout ratio of 22.4% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect MSA Safety to earn $8.25 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.88 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 22.8%.

MSA Safety Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of MSA traded down $1.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $183.93. 134,828 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 141,327. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. MSA Safety has a 12-month low of $126.75 and a 12-month high of $196.02. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $187.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.53. The company has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.45 and a beta of 1.01.

MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 31.51%. MSA Safety’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. Research analysts forecast that MSA Safety will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at MSA Safety

In other news, Director Rebecca B. Roberts sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.84, for a total value of $200,024.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,474 shares in the company, valued at $1,540,912.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Rebecca B. Roberts sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.84, for a total transaction of $200,024.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 8,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,540,912.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Nishan J. Vartanian sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 90 days, insiders have sold 16,504 shares of company stock worth $3,056,181. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

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.