ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Sells 34,671 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP trimmed its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 85.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,692 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 34,671 shares during the quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $594,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at $523,000. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 14,014 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,463,000 after buying an additional 1,995 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 3,091.0% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 103,102 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $10,763,000 after buying an additional 99,871 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 43.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 33,502 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,497,000 after acquiring an additional 10,191 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in MKS Instruments by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $239,207,000 after acquiring an additional 6,715 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 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. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $62.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 269,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,431. The firm's 50-day moving average is $85.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.21. The company has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.47, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. 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.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced 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 note 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, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.08.

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.