Commerce Bank Boosts Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Commerce Bank grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 18.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 34,189 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,413 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank owned about 0.05% of MKS Instruments worth $3,717,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Comerica Bank increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 29.5% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 111,923 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $14,886,000 after purchasing an additional 25,520 shares during the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP grew its position in MKS Instruments by 705.3% in the third 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 acquiring an additional 10,989 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.6% in the second 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 last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,599,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,928.7% during the 2nd 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $1.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $114.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 652,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 904,947. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.25 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $107.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.49. The company has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a PE ratio of 255.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.63.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $896.00 million for 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%. The company's revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This represents a 1.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Five investment 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Company 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.