Corebridge Financial Inc. Lowers Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Corebridge Financial Inc. trimmed its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 76,193 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 3,422 shares during the quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc. owned about 0.11% of MKS Instruments worth $7,954,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $777,283,000 after purchasing an additional 97,392 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 25,145 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,625,000 after buying an additional 1,992 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,441,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 32.1% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 151,025 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $15,766,000 after acquiring an additional 36,721 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth about $1,254,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Finally, Benchmark cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $0.12 on Tuesday, reaching $80.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,151,066 shares, compared to its average volume of 920,158. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $97.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.03. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.37 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The firm has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

About MKS Instruments

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.