Bank of Montreal Can Has $18.77 Million Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 1,626.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 179,800 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 169,383 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.27% of MKS Instruments worth $18,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the 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 $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $63.54. The stock had a trading volume of 360,269 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,830. The firm has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $85.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.21.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. Research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given 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 dividend yield of 1.39%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is 31.43%.

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.