California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 7,457 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 105,328 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 7,457 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.16% of MKS Instruments worth $10,995,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at $97,494,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at $85,451,000. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $28,312,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 2.0 %

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $1.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $65.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,517,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 990,272. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.40, a PEG 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $88.30 and a 200 day moving average of $102.08.

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 for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is 31.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MKSI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm'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 sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.