Bryce Point Capital LLC Takes Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,011 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $523,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 14,014 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,463,000 after acquiring an additional 1,995 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3,091.0% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 103,102 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $10,763,000 after purchasing an additional 99,871 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 43.7% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 33,502 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,497,000 after acquiring an additional 10,191 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $239,207,000 after purchasing an additional 6,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at $1,480,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on MKSI. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark decreased 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 note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 24.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded up $14.42 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $73.20. The stock had a trading volume of 3,811,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 976,559. The firm has a market cap of $4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14, 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 quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The company's 50 day moving average price is $90.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.70.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $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. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About MKS Instruments

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.