Kennedy Capital Management LLC Takes Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 74,569 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $7,784,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.11% of MKS Instruments at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.5% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 59,739 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $6,495,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $212,515,000 after buying an additional 65,200 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 38.6% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,254 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $110,789,000 after buying an additional 530,620 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $127,496,000 after purchasing an additional 51,519 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $3.58 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $63.60. The stock had a trading volume of 797,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 997,610. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.47. The stock has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. On average, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

About MKS Instruments

MKS Instruments, Inc provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division (VSD), Photonics Solutions Division (PSD), and Material Solutions Division (MSD) segments.