6,551 Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Bought by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 6,551 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $684,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKS Instruments stock traded down $0.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $63.06. 251,564 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,003,338. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a PE ratio of 22.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $85.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.21. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. On average, equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

MKS Instruments 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.