Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC Takes Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,163 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $435,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 44.0% during the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 83,312 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $8,691,000 after acquiring an additional 25,450 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,578,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 37.2% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 4,060 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $424,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 49.9% in the 4th quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC now owns 38,371 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $4,006,000 after buying an additional 12,780 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 28,670 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,993,000 after buying an additional 9,102 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MKSI. Benchmark reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock traded up $6.41 during trading on Thursday, hitting $74.32. The stock had a trading volume of 555,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,026,545. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The company's 50 day moving average price is $81.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. The stock has a market cap of $5.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Company Profile

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.