Fox Run Management L.L.C. Trims Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Fox Run Management L.L.C. lessened its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 47.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,192 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 6,559 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C.'s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $751,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings 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 worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective 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 for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three investment 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This 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.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.4 %

MKSI traded down $1.24 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $90.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 524,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 891,648. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.37 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The stock's 50-day moving average is $101.30 and its 200-day moving average is $105.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.22, a PEG 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

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.