Bessemer Group Inc. Buys 4,136 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 146,736 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 4,136 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.22% of MKS Instruments worth $15,316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at $97,494,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth about $85,451,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the third 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. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,391,000 after buying an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,312,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MKSI. Benchmark reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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, Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.08.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business'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 directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, 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. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI traded down $2.85 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $64.33. The stock had a trading volume of 608,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 996,853. 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 fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $86.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $101.47. The company has a market cap of $4.34 billion, a PE ratio of 22.98, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share 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, equities analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share 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. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

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.