Financial Survey: MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) and ADT Corp (ADT)

ADT Corp (NYSE: ADT) and MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) are both services companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and profitabiliy.

Dividends

MSA Safety Incorporporated pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. ADT Corp does not pay a dividend. MSA Safety Incorporporated pays out 71.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. ADT Corp has increased its dividend for 45 consecutive years and MSA Safety Incorporporated has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for ADT Corp and MSA Safety Incorporporated, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ADT Corp	0	0	0	0	N/A
MSA Safety Incorporporated	0	0	3	0	3.00

MSA Safety Incorporporated has a consensus price target of $87.67, suggesting a potential upside of 21.04%. Given MSA Safety Incorporporated’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe MSA Safety Incorporporated is more favorable than ADT Corp.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

64.3% of MSA Safety Incorporporated shares are held by institutional investors. 11.5% of MSA Safety Incorporporated shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares ADT Corp and MSA Safety Incorporporated’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ADT Corp	N/A	N/A	N/A
MSA Safety Incorporporated	6.74%	19.61%	8.34%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares ADT Corp and MSA Safety Incorporporated’s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	EBITDA	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ADT Corp	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
MSA Safety Incorporporated	$1.14 billion	2.41	$209.91 million	$1.97	36.77

MSA Safety Incorporporated has higher revenue and earnings than ADT Corp.

Summary

MSA Safety Incorporporated beats ADT Corp on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

ADT Corp Company Profile

The ADT Corporation (ADT) is a provider of electronic security, interactive home and business automation, and monitoring services for residences and small businesses in the United States and Canada. The Company’s products and services include home and business solutions, and home health services. The Company’s brands include ADT, ADT Pulse and Companion Service. On August 2, 2013, the Company acquired Devcon Security Holdings, Inc. In November 2013, Kastle Systems International announced that it had acquired Mutual Central Alarm Services and Stat-Land Security Systems from ADT Corporation. In July 2014, ADT Corp acquired Reliance Protectron Inc, from Reliance Comfort Limited Partnership, a portfolio company of investment funds managed by Alinda Capital Partners.

MSA Safety Incorporporated Company Profile

Mine Safety Appliances Company is engaged in the development, manufacture and supply of products that protect people’s health and safety. The Company’s line of safety products is used by workers worldwide in the fire service, homeland security, oil and gas, construction and other industries, as well as the military. Its product offering includes self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs), gas masks, gas detection instruments, head protection, respirators, thermal imaging cameras, fall protection and ballistic helmets. The Company also offers consumer and contractor safety products through retail channels. Its safety products integrate any combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life threatening situations. Its Safety Works, LLC joint venture provides a range of safety products and gloves to the North American do-it-yourself and independent contractor market through various channels.