7,611 Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Acquired by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,611 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $827,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Shellback Capital LP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,541,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 219.5% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $45,445,000 after buying an additional 239,099 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $21,690,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $23,171,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 239.2% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 247,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $32,344,000 after acquiring an additional 174,675 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MKSI. Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 1.1 %

MKS Instruments stock traded up $1.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $114.60. 508,820 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 822,553. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 254.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $81.04 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The business's 50-day moving average price is $107.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.79.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. MKS Instruments's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 195.56%.

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.