MSA Safety Announces First Quarter 2026 Results

About this update from Msa Safety Incorporated

First Quarter 2026 Highlights PITTSBURGH, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Global safety equipment and solutions provider MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2026. "Our first quarter performance reflects the resilience of our diverse business, and a solid start to the year," said Steve Blanco, President and CEO of MSA Safety. "We continued to execute our Accelerate strategy and leverage the MSA Business System (MBS) to drive profitable growth, while navigating the current macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape. Strong operational execution in our Americas segment drove our sales and margin performance, more than offsetting short-term challenges in Europe and the Middle East, which are part of our International segment. The team remains focused on achieving our strategic commitments, serving our customers, and delivering on our mission." Financial Highlights "The team delivered solid organic growth and profit pull-through in the first quarter, resulting in 18% adjusted EPS growth," stated Julie Beck, MSA Safety's Chief Financial Officer. "Our gross margin expansion reflects MBS-driven execution. The balance sheet and free cash flow generation remain strong, and we returned cash to shareholders. We announced a new $500 million share repurchase authorization in February and maintain an active M&A pipeline. Given the solid start to the year and our healthy order book, we are maintaining our mid-single-digit 2026 organic sales growth outlook. We also recognize the potential challenges posed by the volatile geopolitical and macroeconomic operating environment," Ms. Beck added. The company returned a total of $71 million to shareholders via dividends of $21 million and executing $50 million of share repurchases, while investing $11 million in capital expenditures. MSA maintains a strong liquidity position with net debt at the end of the first quarter of $433 million. The company's net leverage ratio was 0.9x at March 31, 2026. MSA's strong financial profile, including ample liquidity of $1.2 billion, continues to provide optionality around execution of strategic growth initiatives, including acquisitions. Conference Call MSA Safety will host a conference call on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its fir...

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