MSA
MSA Safety Incorporated
MSA has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
VRT
Vertiv Holdings Co
VRT has the edge over MSA overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
MSA Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Stable |
MSA's revenue, profitability and cash flow are currently healthy, and its balance sheet is stable.
VRT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
VRT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
MSA PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 18x | $175 | — |
| Current | 22x | $175 | — |
| Cheap | 24x | $183 | +5% |
| Fair | 36x | $276 | +58% |
| Expensive | 127x | $988 | +466% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MSA has the edge over VRT in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
VRT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 23x | $210 | — |
| Current | 39x | $210 | — |
| Cheap | 58x | $308 | +47% |
| Fair | 72x | $383 | +83% |
| Expensive | 88x | $472 | +125% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
VRT's PE is in its cheap range at 39x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 23x next year's earnings.
MSA Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for MSA, with profitability improving.
VRT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for VRT, with profitability improving.
MSA Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $9.72 | +25% |
| Q3 2026 | $7.78 | +9.7% |
| Q2 2026 | $8.04 | +15% |
| Q1 2026 | $7.40 | +2.1% |
| Q4 2025 | $7.08 | -1.8% |
| Q3 2025 | $7.09 | +2.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $7.01 | +1.9% |
| Q1 2025 | $7.25 | +7.4% |
| Q4 2024 | $7.21 | +397% |
MSA earned $7.78 per share over the past year, up 9.7% from the year before.
VRT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $9.14 | +71% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.35 | +102% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.42 | +111% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.98 | +131% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.41 | +166% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.65 | +75% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.09 | +62% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.72 | +64% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.28 | +7.6% |
VRT has the edge over MSA on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
MSA Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $536.4M | +15% |
| Q2 2026 | $503.3M | +6.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $463.6M | +10% |
| Q4 2025 | $510.9M | +2.2% |
| Q3 2025 | $468.4M | +8.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $474.1M | +2.5% |
| Q1 2025 | $421.3M | +1.9% |
| Q4 2024 | $499.7M | +0.9% |
MSA's revenue has grown year over year for eight quarters in a row: $536M last quarter, up 15% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 16% | -3.7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 22% | +4.1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 20% | +1.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 22% | -1.3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 20% | -1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 18% | -3.5 points |
| Q1 2025 | 18% | -0.9 points |
| Q4 2024 | 24% | +2.9 points |
MSA's operating margin was 16% last quarter, down 3.7 points from the same quarter a year ago.
VRT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.3B | +61% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.3B | +24% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.6B | +30% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.9B | +23% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.7B | +29% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.6B | +35% |
| Q1 2025 | $2B | +24% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.3B | +26% |
VRT has the edge over MSA on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 23% | +3.5 points |
| Q2 2026 | 19% | +2.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 17% | +2.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 20% | +0.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 19% | +1.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 17% | -0.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 14% | +1.9 points |
| Q4 2024 | 19% | +4.2 points |
VRT has the edge over MSA on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
MSA Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $68.2M | -32% |
| Q2 2026 | $82.7M | +118% |
| Q1 2026 | $65.1M | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $106M | +13% |
| Q3 2025 | $100.5M | +43% |
| Q2 2025 | $37.9M | -2.8% |
| Q1 2025 | $51M | +29% |
| Q4 2024 | $93.5M | -36% |
MSA generated $322M in free cash flow over the past year, up 14% from the year before.
VRT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $654.9M | +41% |
| Q2 2026 | $926.5M | +233% |
| Q1 2026 | $654.2M | +145% |
| Q4 2025 | $885.6M | +143% |
| Q3 2025 | $463.5M | +36% |
| Q2 2025 | $277.9M | -19% |
| Q1 2025 | $266.8M | +162% |
| Q4 2024 | $364.5M | +18% |
VRT has the edge over MSA on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
MSA Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.1% | -50K shares |
| 1 year | -1.6% | -633K shares |
| 3 years | -2% | -803K shares |
| 5 years | -2% | -783K shares |
| Available history | -1.4% | -542K shares |
MSA has the edge over VRT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $12.9M |
| Q2 2026 | $26M |
| Q1 2026 | $60.4M |
| Q4 2025 | $39.9M |
| Q3 2025 | $1.2M |
| Q2 2025 | $30.5M |
| Q1 2025 | $18.3M |
| Q4 2024 | $9.9M |
MSA spent $139M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 132% from the year before.
VRT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | -64.9K shares |
| 1 year | +0.4% | +1.8M shares |
| 3 years | +1.1% | +4.4M shares |
| 5 years | +10% | +36M shares |
| Available history | +63% | +152M shares |
VRT has 393M diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | — |
| Q2 2024 | — |
| Q1 2024 | $599.9M |
MSA Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.9x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.9x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.9x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 1.0x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.8x | Very low |
MSA's net debt is about 1.9 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from a year a year ago.
VRT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 1.0x | Healthy |
VRT has the edge over MSA on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
MSA Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 46.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 19.5 | Oversold |
MSA's weekly RSI is 46 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 20 (oversold).
VRT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 43.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 26.4 | Neutral |
VRT's weekly RSI is 43 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 26 (neutral).
MSA PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | MSA | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 22x | 24x | 6.6% below |
| PE % | 8 | 58 | 50 pts below |
MSA has the edge over VRT on valuation relative to its sector.
VRT PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | VRT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 39x | 24x | 63% above |
| PE % | 3 | 58 | 55 pts below |
VRT is trading at 39x earnings, a 63% premium to the Industrials sector's median of 24x.
MSA Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $178.6 | 2.3% below |
| 20 week MA | $181.0 | 3.5% below |
| 50 week MA | $176.3 | 0.9% below |
| 100 week MA | $169.6 | 3% above |
| 200 week MA | $168.1 | 3.9% above |
MSA has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 3.9% above its 200-week average.
VRT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $221.8 | 5.5% below |
| 20 week MA | $254.4 | 18% below |
| 50 week MA | $253.9 | 17% below |
| 100 week MA | $189.1 | 11% above |
| 200 week MA | $123.5 | 70% above |
VRT has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 70% above its 200-week average.
MSA Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $127.4 | $149.0 | +17% |
| 2021 | $149.0 | $147.2 | -1.2% |
| 2022 | $147.2 | $140.7 | -4.4% |
| 2023 | $140.7 | $168.8 | +20% |
| 2024 | $168.8 | $167.2 | -1% |
| 2025 | $167.2 | $163.9 | -2% |
| 2026 YTD | $163.9 | $174.6 | +6.6% |
MSA has finished lower in four of the last six years. It's up 6.6% so far in 2026.
VRT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $10.9 | $18.9 | +73% |
| 2021 | $18.9 | $24.9 | +31% |
| 2022 | $24.9 | $12.8 | -48% |
| 2023 | $12.8 | $48.0 | +275% |
| 2024 | $48.0 | $115.1 | +140% |
| 2025 | $115.1 | $167.6 | +46% |
| 2026 YTD | $167.6 | $209.6 | +25% |
VRT has the edge over MSA on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.