Risk Intelligence
Core Model
B−
72 / 100
Insufficient Data
How strong and defensively sound is the company?
Above average on this measure.
Suggestions
MSA · NYSE
MSA SAFETY INC
Private betaSector unavailable · Industry unavailable
$182.18
+0.50%
Close on Sep 11, 2026
Insufficient Data
Updated 12/19/2023
Long-term research evidence only. No price targets, no trading signals, no recommendations.
Investment Report Card
MSA SAFETY INC
Sector unavailable · Data confidence partial
60 / 100
Rank #195 of 1,152 qualified companies
Top 29% · Watch
Long-Term Potential
Research Model
C−
56 / 100
Insufficient Data
Does the business have the characteristics needed to create value over many years?
Around the middle of the covered universe.
Fundamental Momentum
Research Model
C+
66 / 100
Insufficient Data
Is the underlying business getting stronger or weaker?
Around the middle of the covered universe.
Ownership Intelligence
Supplemental Intelligence
C
63 / 100
Positive disclosed activity
What are important owners actually doing?
Around the middle of the covered universe.
Valuation Intelligence
Research Model
C
64 / 100
Attractive
Is today's price reasonable?
Around the middle of the covered universe — and valuation is researched separately from the Suggested Investment Score.
Capital Returns Intelligence
Research Model
C
61 / 100
Favorable Capital Returns
How effectively does the company reward shareholders?
Around the middle of the covered universe — and capital returns are researched separately from the Suggested Investment Score.
Why it stands out
- More disclosed holders are new or increasing than reducing or exiting.
- Attractive valuation: the stock reads 64 out of 100 on Valuation Intelligence (Attractive) relative to its own history and comparable companies.
What holds it back
No weakening evidence is recorded in today's readings.
Long-term view
MSA SAFETY INC scores 56 on Long-Term Potential (C−), described by the research model as insufficient data. This describes business characteristics only — it is not a forecast of future returns.
Ownership view
Disclosed ownership evidence reads 63 (C): Positive disclosed activity. 2 tracked managers disclosed a position in the latest reporting period. Ownership filings are historical disclosures, not signals.
Valuation view
MSA SAFETY INC reads 64 out of 100 on Valuation Intelligence, recorded as Attractive. The stock currently trades below most of its own recent valuation history and above comparable companies. This describes the price being paid relative to the company's financials — it is not a forecast and not a fair value. Valuation Intelligence is a research model and contributes nothing to the Suggested Investment Score or the daily ranking.
Capital returns view
MSA SAFETY INC reads 61 out of 100 on Capital Returns Intelligence (Favorable Capital Returns), reflecting a dividend that has grown about 5.2% a year. Capital Returns Intelligence is a research model and contributes nothing to the Suggested Investment Score or the daily ranking.
What changed
No meaningful recorded changes in the stored history.
Risk Intelligence is a core model, Long-Term Potential, Fundamental Momentum, Valuation Intelligence and Capital Returns Intelligence are research models, and Ownership Intelligence is supplemental descriptive evidence. Valuation Intelligence and Capital Returns Intelligence each contribute 0% to the Suggested Investment Score. Nothing here is a recommendation.
Compare MSA with other companiesAppears in
Rule-based membership
Membership means the company satisfied a published rule on the latest research build. It is not a recommendation.
About a minute to read
The 60-Second Investment Brief
Written from stored research readings only. No hype. No trading signals. Just better evidence.
Why it's interesting
MSA SAFETY INC (MSA) scores 60 out of 100 and ranks #195 of 1,152 qualified companies today. That places it in the top 29% of ranked companies. The stored tier for that score is watch.
Business strength
Risk Intelligence reads 72 out of 100 (B−), recorded as insufficient data. Above average on this measure.
Long-term opportunity
Long-Term Potential reads 56 out of 100 (C−), recorded as insufficient data. Around the middle of the covered universe.
What's improving or weakening
Fundamental Momentum reads 66 out of 100 (C+), recorded as insufficient data. Around the middle of the covered universe.
What important owners are doing
Ownership Intelligence reads 63 out of 100 (C), recorded as positive disclosed activity. Around the middle of the covered universe.
What kind of price you'd be paying
Valuation currently appears favourable: Valuation Intelligence reads 64 out of 100 (C), recorded as Attractive. MSA SAFETY INC reads 64 out of 100 on Valuation Intelligence, recorded as Attractive. The stock currently trades below most of its own recent valuation history and above comparable companies. This describes the price being paid relative to the company's financials — it is not a forecast and not a fair value. Valuation Intelligence is a research model and contributes nothing to the Suggested Investment Score or the daily ranking.
How the company rewards shareholders
Capital Returns Intelligence reads 61 out of 100 (C), recorded as Favorable Capital Returns. MSA SAFETY INC reads 61 out of 100 on Capital Returns Intelligence (Favorable Capital Returns), reflecting a dividend that has grown about 5.2% a year. Capital Returns Intelligence is a research model and contributes nothing to the Suggested Investment Score or the daily ranking.
What could go wrong
No weakening factors are recorded in today's stored readings, and data confidence is partial. Absence of a recorded weakness is not evidence of safety.
Bottom line
No individual layer reaches the strongest band today. Long-Term Potential remains the main area to watch. Separately from the score, valuation reads attractive at today's price.
Composite discovery model
Pro Investor Score
Pro Investor Score™
60 / 100
Watch
A 0–100 composite discovery score combining Risk Intelligence, Long-Term Potential, Fundamental Momentum, and Ownership Intelligence. It helps rank qualified companies for further research and does not predict future returns.
- Rank
- #195 of 694
- Percentile
- Top 29%
- Ranking updated
- September 12, 2026
—Rank unchanged. Rank unchanged.
- Risk Intelligence
- 72
- Long-Term Potential
- 56
- Fundamental Momentum
- 66
- Ownership Intelligence
- 63
30% contribution
30% contribution
20% contribution
20% contribution
Ownership Intelligence
63 / 100 · Moderately Positive · 20% of the Pro Investor Score
SUPPLEMENTAL / DESCRIPTIVE INTELLIGENCE
Coverage: Partial Coverage
- Elite Investor Activity
- Insufficient Data
- Institutional Activity
- 63 · Moderately Positive
- Insider Activity
- Insufficient Data
- Strategic Ownership
- Insufficient Data
50% of Ownership Intelligence · 10% of the total score
No reliably mapped professional-manager filings are stored, so this evidence is unavailable rather than neutral.
20% of Ownership Intelligence · 4% of the total score
Broad institutional evidence from resolved filings is moderately positive.
15% of Ownership Intelligence · 3% of the total score
No discretionary insider transactions are stored for this company, so this evidence is unavailable rather than neutral.
15% of Ownership Intelligence · 3% of the total score
No qualifying major-holder filings are stored, so this evidence is unavailable rather than neutral.
Ownership Intelligence summarizes publicly disclosed activity among professional investment managers, broader institutions, company insiders, and significant strategic owners. It adds context to investment research but is not a validated predictor of future performance. Ownership information is publicly reported with a delay; the latest applicable reporting period is 2026-06-30, publicly disclosed 9/11/2026. Congressional activity is unavailable pending legal review and contributes nothing to this reading.
Why it ranks here
Improving fundamentals
Recent reported business trends rank among the strongest in the qualified universe.
What holds it back
Ownership evidence is not uniformly supportive
The combined disclosed ownership evidence ranks below the qualified median.
Ownership Intelligence — Partial Coverage
Only part of the ownership evidence is available for this company. Missing evidence is left missing rather than replaced with a neutral value.
COMPOSITE DISCOVERY MODEL — RESEARCH STAGE · Data coverage Good. Rankings are recalculated daily using the latest available information. Individual components may update at different frequencies based on when new financial and ownership data becomes available.
Researched separately
Valuation Intelligence 64 · Attractive
RESEARCH MODEL
Valuation Intelligence is currently researched separately and does not affect the Suggested Investment Score or daily ranking.
Researched separately
Capital Returns Intelligence 61 · Favorable Capital Returns
RESEARCH MODEL
Capital Returns Intelligence is researched separately and contributes 0% to the Suggested Investment Score, the daily rank or any ranking event.
Score explanation
Why this company scores the way it does
Four research areas carry fixed weights. Each area is compared against every other eligible company, then weighted. The four contributions below add to 60.0 of the stored score (60.0).
Risk Intelligence
30% of the score · contributes 22.1 points
How strong and defensively sound is the company?
Stands at the 74 percentile of eligible companies · stored reading 72 · 37% of this company’s total score
How financially sturdy the company has been when conditions turned against it.
How this area is measured
Risk Intelligence reads stored balance-sheet strength, historical downside behaviour and the company's price-risk grouping. A stronger reading describes past resilience; it does not protect against future losses.
Full methodologyLong-Term Potential
30% of the score · contributes 16.5 points
Does the business have the characteristics needed to create value over many years?
Stands at the 55 percentile of eligible companies · stored reading 56 · 27% of this company’s total score
Whether the business has the durable characteristics long-term owners look for.
How this area is measured
Long-Term Potential reads durability characteristics such as profitability consistency, cash generation and reinvestment capability over multiple reported periods.
Full methodologyFundamental Momentum
20% of the score · contributes 15.8 points
Is the underlying business getting stronger or weaker?
Stands at the 79 percentile of eligible companies · stored reading 66 · 26% of this company’s total score
Whether the reported business results have been getting stronger or weaker.
How this area is measured
Fundamental Momentum compares recent reported fundamentals with the company's own earlier periods, so improvement or deterioration is measured against its history rather than against a forecast.
Full methodologyOwnership Intelligence
20% of the score · contributes 5.6 points
What are important owners actually doing?
Stands at the 28 percentile of eligible companies · stored reading 63 · 9% of this company’s total score
What large reporting owners have actually been doing with their positions.
How this area is measured
Ownership Intelligence reads public ownership filings: how many tracked reporting owners hold the company, and whether they were adding, holding, reducing or exiting in the latest disclosed period.
Full methodology
What is helping the score
- Risk Intelligence — 74 percentile, adding 22.1 points.
- Fundamental Momentum — 79 percentile, adding 15.8 points.
What deserves attention
- Ownership Intelligence — 28 percentile, adding only 5.6 of a possible 20 points.
Outside the score
Additional research — not currently included in the primary Suggested Investment Score.
- Valuation Intelligence — MSA SAFETY INC reads 64 out of 100 on Valuation Intelligence, recorded as Attractive. The stock currently trades below most of its own recent valuation history and above comparable companies. This describes the price being paid relative to the company's financials — it is not a forecast and not a fair value.
- Capital Returns Intelligence — MSA SAFETY INC reads 61 out of 100 on Capital Returns Intelligence (Favorable Capital Returns), reflecting a dividend that has grown about 5.2% a year.
Pro Investor Intelligence™
Reported by insiders, large shareholders and professional funds. Shown beside our research, never blended into it.
Loading professional-investor activity…
Stored snapshots only
What changed
Research-score history available since September 2026.
Stored research history does not yet cover a full 30 days comparison for this company.
A change is reported as meaningful at 8 score points, 5 rank places, or any change of research classification. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell.
Learn the metrics on this page
Plain-English definitions, with the formula and the limitations of each measure.
Fifth research lens · outside the score
Valuation Intelligence
Valuation Intelligence
Is today's price reasonable?
Valuation Intelligence is currently researched separately and does not affect the Suggested Investment Score or daily ranking.
64/ 100
Attractive
RESEARCH MODEL
Good coverage
Compared with its history
77
Very Attractive
Is this company expensive or inexpensive compared with its own history?
Compared with peers
32
Expensive
How expensive is this stock compared with similar companies?
Earnings & cash flow
59
Reasonable
How much financial output does an investor receive relative to the price paid?
Growth-adjusted
89
Very Attractive
Does the company's growth help justify the valuation investors are paying?
MSA SAFETY INC reads 64 out of 100 on Valuation Intelligence, recorded as Attractive. The stock currently trades below most of its own recent valuation history and above comparable companies. This describes the price being paid relative to the company's financials — it is not a forecast and not a fair value.
Price data through September 11, 2026 · Financial data through the quarter ended June 30, 2026
Valuation history
Stored readings only. The dashed line is this company's own median for the selected measure.
Only one stored valuation reading exists so far, so there is nothing to chart yet. Valuation history builds forward from activation rather than being reconstructed.
Current P/E 22.4x · own median 35.7x · peer median 19.9x
Valuation is inherently uncertain. A stock that appears inexpensive can continue falling, and a stock that appears expensive can continue rising. Valuation Intelligence provides context about the price investors are paying — it does not predict short-term market movements, and it never produces a fair value, a price target or a buy or sell range. Model VALUATION_INTELLIGENCE_V1.
Sixth research lens · outside the score
Capital Returns Intelligence
Capital Returns Intelligence
How effectively does the company reward shareholders?
Capital Returns Intelligence is researched separately and contributes 0% to the Suggested Investment Score, the daily rank or any ranking event.
61/ 100
Favorable Capital Returns
RESEARCH MODEL
Excellent coverage
Dividend Quality
87
Exceptional Capital Returns
Dividend reliability
Buyback Effectiveness
42
Moderate Capital Returns
Do buybacks actually reduce shares?
The company spends on share repurchases, but much of that activity offsets share issuance rather than materially reducing the share count.
Dilution Control
46
Moderate Capital Returns
Is your ownership share protected?
Capital Return Sustainability
76
Strong Capital Returns
Can the cash flow support it?
Shareholder Yield
46
Moderate Capital Returns
Cash returned versus company value
MSA SAFETY INC reads 61 out of 100 on Capital Returns Intelligence (Favorable Capital Returns), reflecting a dividend that has grown about 5.2% a year.
This company spent cash repurchasing stock, but the share count did not fall meaningfully because it also issued shares. Repurchase spending alone did not increase existing shareholders' ownership.
How returned cash was used
Dividends $82.88M · net repurchases $125.44M · total returned $208.32M · 59% of free cash flow
Price data through September 11, 2026 · Financial data through the quarter ended June 30, 2026
Capital returns history
Stored readings only. History builds forward from activation rather than being reconstructed.
Only one stored reading exists for this measure so far, so there is nothing to chart yet.
Why higher yield isn't always better
A very high dividend yield may reflect a falling share price or an unsustainable payout. Capital Returns Intelligence emphasizes consistency and sustainability rather than simply rewarding the highest yield.
Why buybacks can be misleading
Announced or gross buyback spending does not always mean shareholders are gaining ownership. Companies can simultaneously issue shares through employee compensation or acquisitions. Suggested Investments therefore considers actual share-count changes alongside repurchase spending.
What these terms mean
- Dividend Yield
- The annual dividend relative to the current share price.
- Payout Ratio
- The share of company earnings used to pay dividends.
- Free Cash Flow Payout
- How much of the company's available cash is being used for dividends.
- Share Repurchases
- When a company buys back its own stock.
- Dilution
- When the number of shares increases, reducing each existing share's percentage ownership of the company.
- Shareholder Yield
- A combined view of dividends and net share repurchases relative to the company's market value.
Capital Returns Intelligence describes how a company returns capital to shareholders. It is not a measure of stock-price performance, it does not predict future returns, and a strong reading is never a recommendation to buy. Dividends and repurchases can be reduced or stopped at any time. Model CAPITAL_RETURNS_INTELLIGENCE_V1, contributing 0% to the Pro Investor Score.
Stored daily snapshots only
Ranking history
| Today | #195 | Score 60 |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days ago | Not ranked | No stored score |
| 90 days ago | Not ranked | No stored score |
| First suggested | September 12, 2026 | |
| Highest rank | #195 | |
In the company’s own words
What this company does
Overview — MSA Safety Incorporated (the "Company" or "MSA") is the global leader in advanced safety products, technology and solutions. Driven by its singular mission of safety, the Company has been at the forefront of safety innovation since 1914, protecting workers and facility infrastructure around the world across a broad range of diverse end markets while creating sustainable value for shareholders. The Company's comprehensive product line, which is governed by rigorous safety standards across highly regulated industries, is used to protect workers and facility infrastructures around the world in a broad range of markets, including fire service, energy, utility, construction, and industrial manufacturing applications as well as heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration ("HVAC-R"). The Company's principal product categories are detection, fire service and industrial personal protective equipment ("PPE").
In addition to its principal product categories, MSA continues to deploy and grow its MSA+ ecosystem, its turnkey approach to MSA hardware, software, and services to simplify and improve safety operations for customers while delivering recurring revenue.
The Company’s leading market positions across various products in our portfolio are supported and enabled by a strong commitment to investing in new product development that continually raises the bar for safety equipment performance, all while upholding an unwavering commitment to integrity. We dedicate significant resources to research and development, which allows us to produce innovative safety products and solutions that are often first to market and usually protected by intellectual property. Our global product development teams include cross-functional associates throughout the Company, including research and development, marketing, sales, operations and quality management. Our engineers and technical associates work closely with the safety industry’s leading standards-setting groups and trade associations to develop industry-specific product standards and to anticipate their impact on our product line.
We leverage the MSA Business System ("MBS") to develop and introduce innovative safety solutions, secure new business opportunities, and operate with greater efficiency. The MBS is our approach to working at our best - at our most efficient and most empowered. It is a combination of behaviors, processes and tools that provide a framework to run the business and continuously improve. We strive to serve our customers and help them solve their safety and compliance challenges while creating value for our shareholders. As part of our differentiated development process, we embed ourselves with our customers to deeply understand their processes, pain points and desired outcomes. Our commitment to MBS has enabled us to drive customer satisfaction and profitable growth while generating significant improvements in operating results.
Quoted from the business section of this company’s 10-K filed February 12, 2026. Read the filing
Four distinct intelligence areas
The IA view
Risk Intelligence
Production core
72
Fundamentally Qualified
No prior period to compare
Business Quality qualification score from the locked IA Defensive Research Core. Price Risk stays a separate category and is never blended in.
As of Sep 11, 2026
Long-Term Potential
Research model
56
Ordinary Compounder
No prior period to compare
Durable business economics and reinvestment characteristics. Independent external validation is pending.
As of Sep 11, 2026
Fundamental Momentum
Research model
66
Accelerating
No prior period to compare
Direction and breadth of change in underlying business fundamentals. Not a price-momentum signal.
As of Sep 11, 2026
Elite Investor Activity
Supplemental
—
Insufficient Data
No prior period to compare
Too few tracked managers disclosed a position to describe consensus.
Intelligence history
Not enough stored history to chart MSA yet. A company needs at least two published research or ownership periods before a trend can be shown.
Share price
MSA price history
Closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends. Past prices do not indicate future results.
- 6M change
- +2.1%
- 1Y change
- +7.3%
- 3Y change
- +9.2%
- 5Y change
- +26.1%
- Max change
- +53.8%
Last stored close $182.18 · +7.3% over the selected range · 52 sessions shown
Balanced evidence
Why IA likes it
- More disclosed holders are new or increasing than reducing or exiting.
Risk and uncertainty
What IA doesn’t like
- No specific negative evidence is available. This is not evidence of low risk.
What would change our view
- Business Quality falling below the frozen qualification threshold.
- Price Risk moving to a less favorable category.
- A sustained reversal in the Fundamental Momentum research evidence.
- New material public ownership disclosures.
Public filings · descriptive only
Elite Investor Activity
Reporting holders
4
New holders
3
Increasing
0
Reducing
1
Exiting
0
Coverage
Excellent
Positive disclosed activity · Report period 2022-12-31 · Public 12/19/2023
| Manager | Change | Portfolio weight | Rank | Disclosed |
|---|
Insufficient high-confidence manager coverage.
Objective stored changes
What changed
No qualifying changes are recorded for this company in the stored research and filing history.
Ownership timeline
No high-confidence public ownership events are available.
General research only. Not personalized advice. Public filings may be delayed, amended, incomplete, or reflect positions that have changed since the reporting date.