Senior VP & President of MSA Americas Of MSA Safety Sold 29% Of Their Shares

We wouldn't blame MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE:MSA) shareholders if they were a little worried about the fact that Stephanie Sciullo, the Senior VP & President of MSA Americas recently netted about US$810k selling shares at an average price of US$172. That sale reduced their total holding by 29% which is hardly insignificant, but far from the worst we've seen.

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The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At MSA Safety

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Non-Executive Chairman, Nishan Vartanian, for US$4.8m worth of shares, at about US$161 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$168. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was only 45% of Nishan Vartanian's holding.

MSA Safety insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

View our latest analysis for MSA Safety

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Does MSA Safety Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. MSA Safety insiders own about US$410m worth of shares (which is 6.2% of the company). This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At MSA Safety Tell Us?

An insider hasn't bought MSA Safety stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. But since MSA Safety is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. While insiders do own a lot of shares in the company (which is good), our analysis of their transactions doesn't make us feel confident about the company. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing MSA Safety. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for MSA Safety you should be aware of.

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For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.