Commerce Bank Trims Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Commerce Bank trimmed its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 82.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,100 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 28,089 shares during the period. Commerce Bank's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $637,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $97,494,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $85,451,000. Barclays PLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 530,620 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $31,391,000 after acquiring an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $28,312,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $74.08. The stock had a trading volume of 933,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,036,210. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. The business has a fifty day moving average of $79.94 and a 200 day moving average of $99.24. The company has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Benchmark decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 company insiders.

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.