Barclays PLC Sells 166,084 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Barclays PLC lowered its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 16.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 853,050 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 166,084 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 1.27% of MKS Instruments worth $89,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Granite Investment Partners LLC increased its position in MKS Instruments by 49.9% during the fourth quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC now owns 38,371 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $4,006,000 after acquiring an additional 12,780 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 28,670 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,993,000 after purchasing an additional 9,102 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 3,573 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at about $7,784,000. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in MKS Instruments by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 29,392 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,068,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments 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 of the company's stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the 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 sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents 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 owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI traded up $0.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $63.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,641,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,010,761. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $83.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 31.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on MKSI shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

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.