What smart money is saying about MSA Safety
4 funds in our archive have pitched MSA Safety, most recently Heartland Advisors Opportunistic Value Equity Strategy in June 2026.
MSA Safety Incorporated is a prominent global manufacturer and provider of safety equipment, specializing in the engineering, production, and distribution of solutions designed to safeguard both personnel and critical infrastructure. The company serves a diverse range of high-risk sectors, including the energy industry (oil, gas, and petrochemical), emergency services (fire departments), construction, industrial manufacturing, utilities, military, and mining. Its international footprint extends significantly across North America, Latin America, and other global markets. Among its principal offerings are permanently installed systems for gas and flame detection, encompassing sophisticated monitoring units, flame sensors, and open-path infrared detectors. These are complemented by essential replacement parts and associated services, all crucial for identifying the presence or absence of various atmospheric gases. The company also provides advanced respiratory protection, including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), alongside portable gas detection devices for on-the-go analysis. MSA Safety's product line further includes a comprehensive range of head protection solutions for industrial use, as well as specialized helmets and protective clothing tailored for firefighters. Additionally, the company offers robust fall protection systems, featuring confined space apparatus, safety harnesses, lanyards, and self-retracting lifelines, often integrated into custom-engineered safety setups. Further expanding its portfolio, the company supplies air-purifying respirators, eye and face shields, ballistic helmets, and gas masks. Distribution reaches both end-users and wholesale partners via direct and indirect sales channels. Its products are marketed under well-known brand names such as V-Gard, Cairns, and Gallet. Founded in 1914, MSA Safety Incorporated maintains its headquarters in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.
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Position history
Between Q2 2025 and Q3 2026, 5 fund letters reported a position in MSA Safety, with 2 buys (opened or added) and 1 sell (trimmed or exited).
| Quarter | Letters | Bought | Sold | Theses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Q2 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Q4 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Q2 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Bought and Sold count moves: the same sentence published by several funds of one house in a quarter counts once.
Fund activity · 5 positions · 3 moves
- September 2026
“We sold three positions (International Flavors & Fragrances, HCA Healthcare, and MSA Safety), initiated four new positions (Pfizer, Stifel Financial, MetLife, and State Street), and added to three existing holdings (Viatris, CVS Health, and PNC Financial Services Group). The changes were 5 Dividend Select Quarterly Commentary 2026: Third Quarter concentrated in healthcare and financials, where we found the most compelling combinations of income, balance sheet progress, and earnings momentum. We sold International Flavors & Fragrances as the balance between expected return and execution risk became less attractive amid continued uncertainty around the company’s portfolio transformation. The global specialty ingredients company, whose remaining businesses are focused on Taste, Scent, and Health & Biosciences, has made meaningful progress simplifying its portfolio, reducing leverage, and improving organic growth. However, the divestiture of its Food Ingredients business leaves approximately $100 million of stranded costs expected to pressure margins into 2027, working capital requirements and the timing of the transaction add near-term uncertainty, and management’s longer- term sales objectives require volume growth meaningfully above underlying market growth, a standard against which the company’s historical organic growth has trailed several key competitors. With the valuation increasingly reflecting the benefits of the restructuring, there was less room for setbacks in cost removal, customer demand, input costs, and completion of the transition. The sales of HCA Healthcare and MSA Safety were driven by the income objectives of Dividend Select rather than by any deterioration in either business.”
MSA Safety - September 2026
“Industrials declined approximately 16% as a group and was the weakest performing sector in the Index. Our large overweight to the space was a significant headwind to performance, although positive stock selection helped mitigate the impact. CSW Industrials, Inc. (CSW), Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (JKHY), and MSA Safety, Inc. (MSA) were among the largest contributors to relative performance within the sector.”
MSA Safety - June 2026
“A new portfolio addition last quarter was MSA Safety (MSA) , which designs and manufactures firefighting equipment, gas detectors, and industrial safety equipment.”
MSA Safety - New positionSouthernsun Small CapJune 2025
“During the second quarter of 2025, we fully exited Oxford Industries, Inc. (OXM) and initiated a new position in MSA Safety (MSA) in the Small Cap Strategy.”
MSA Safety - New positionSouthernsun Smid CapJune 2025
“During the second quarter of 2025, we initiated one new position in MSA Safety, Inc. (MSA) in the SMID Cap Composite.”
MSA Safety
Also mentioned · 1
These funds discuss MSA Safety as a competitor, benchmark or comparable, without disclosing a position in it.
- MentionedSouthernSun AM SMID Cap CompositeJune 2026
“Our team traveled to Indianapolis for the FDIC Firefighter’s Convention to meet with senior leadership of MSA Safety and Oshkosh Corp and speak to everyday users of these companies’ equipment, to Orlando for”
MSA Safety
Fund coverage · 4 theses
MSA Safety makes firefighting and industrial safety equipment, with margin expansion expected from higher-margin gas detectors and SCBAs, a subscription transition, and an attractive valuation versus peers.
Read the full thesis- Sequoia FundDecember 2025
MSA Safety is a leading workplace safety equipment provider with strong brand, subscription-driven 'connected' products, and attractive valuation supporting long-term growth.
Read the full thesis MSA Safety is a high-quality manufacturer of safety equipment poised to benefit from sustained demand as the world transitions to energy and electrification, and we acquired it at a discount to its historical valuation.
Read the full thesis- Southernsun Small CapJune 2025
MSA Safety, Inc. is a leading provider of critical safety solutions across various industries, including advanced firefighter equipment and gas detection instruments, with a strong focus on innovation and connected technologies poised for growth.
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