Citigroup Inc. Purchases 30,216 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 7.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 30,216 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.66% of MKS Instruments worth $48,303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Comerica Bank increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 29.5% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 111,923 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $14,886,000 after purchasing an additional 25,520 shares during the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 705.3% during the 3rd quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,364,000 after buying an additional 10,989 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 141,187 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $18,436,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,599,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3,928.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 76,828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $10,110,000 after purchasing an additional 74,921 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $1.57 during trading on Monday, hitting $116.49. The company had a trading volume of 868,836 shares, compared to its average volume of 827,593. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $77.25 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The company's fifty day moving average is $107.01 and its 200-day moving average is $118.42. The company has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 259.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.63.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business's revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on MKSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.09.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This represents a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was 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 directly owns 10,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

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.