First Eagle Investment Management LLC Sells 18,709 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 134,278 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 18,709 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned about 0.20% of MKS Instruments worth $14,017,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $322,386,000 after purchasing an additional 35,256 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $265,874,000 after acquiring an additional 237,979 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $212,515,000 after acquiring an additional 65,200 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $127,496,000 after acquiring an additional 51,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $110,789,000 after acquiring an additional 530,620 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $3.78 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $91.54. 1,931,907 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 880,047. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $103.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.61. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.37 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MKSI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments 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.