Federated Hermes Inc. Purchases 17,438 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 136.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,250 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 17,438 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.'s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,748 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,952,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI traded up $0.03 during trading on Thursday, reaching $63.72. 1,641,182 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,008,787. The company has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.76, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $85.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.21.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. As a group, 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 announced 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 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark lowered their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.08.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade 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 insiders.

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.