Cooke & Bieler LP Acquires 207,165 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Cooke & Bieler LP grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 30.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 877,040 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 207,165 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP owned about 1.30% of MKS Instruments worth $91,554,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the third quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MKSI shares. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.08.

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MKS Instruments Stock Down 7.0 %

MKS Instruments stock opened at $78.95 on Tuesday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.90 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $106.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.07. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. On average, equities research analysts predict 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 dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by 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.

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