MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) versus Viaspace (OTCMKTS:VSPC) Financial Analysis

Viaspace (OTCMKTS:VSPC) and MSA Safety Incorporporated (NYSE:MSA) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Viaspace and MSA Safety Incorporporated”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Viaspace	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
MSA Safety Incorporporated	$1.86 billion	3.36	$284.97 million	$7.09	22.58

MSA Safety Incorporporated has higher revenue and earnings than Viaspace.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Viaspace	N/A	N/A	N/A
MSA Safety Incorporporated	15.02%	25.23%	12.89%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

92.5% of MSA Safety Incorporporated shares are owned by institutional investors. 45.8% of Viaspace shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.7% of MSA Safety Incorporporated shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

Viaspace has a beta of 0.75, meaning that its stock price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MSA Safety Incorporporated has a beta of 0.99, meaning that its stock price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Viaspace and MSA Safety Incorporporated, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viaspace	0	0	0	0	0.00
MSA Safety Incorporporated	0	3	3	0	2.50

MSA Safety Incorporporated has a consensus target price of $189.20, suggesting a potential upside of 18.16%. Given MSA Safety Incorporporated’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe MSA Safety Incorporporated is more favorable than Viaspace.

Summary

MSA Safety Incorporporated beats Viaspace on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Viaspace

VIASPACE Inc. engages in the renewable energy business in the United States and internationally. It develops Giant King Grass (GKG), a biomass and energy crop. The company’s GKG could be burned in biomass power plants to generate electricity; made into pellets that could be burned together with coal to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants; generated bio methane through anaerobic digestion; and used as a feedstock for low carbon liquid biofuels for transportation, biochemical, and bio plastics, as well as animal feed. VIASPACE Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Santa Cruz, California.

About MSA Safety Incorporporated

MSA Safety Incorporated develops, manufactures, and supplies safety products and technology solutions that protect people and facility infrastructures in the fire service, energy, utility, construction, and industrial manufacturing applications, as well as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration industries worldwide. The company's core product offerings include fixed gas and flame detection systems, such as gas detection monitoring systems, and flame detectors and open-path infrared gas detectors; breathing apparatus products, including self-contained breathing apparatus; hand-held portable gas detection instruments to detect the presence or absence of various gases in the air; industrial head protection products; firefighter helmets and protective apparel; and fall protection equipment, such as confined space equipment, harnesses, lanyards, and self-retracting lifelines, as well as engineered systems. In addition, the company offers air-purifying respirators, eye and face protection products, ballistic helmets, and gas masks. It serves distributors and end-users through indirect and direct sales channels. The company offers its products under the V-Gard, Cairns, and Gallet brand names. MSA Safety Incorporated was founded in 1914 and is based in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.