Granite Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 49.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 38,371 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 12,780 shares during the period. Granite Investment Partners LLC owned 0.06% of MKS Instruments worth $4,006,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 28,670 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,993,000 after purchasing an additional 9,102 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 3,573 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,784,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 29,392 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,068,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 146,736 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $15,316,000 after buying an additional 4,136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.08.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on MKSI
Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments
In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.
MKS Instruments Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded up $0.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $63.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,641,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,010,761. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.62.
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 net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. As a group, analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.
MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 31.43%.
MKS Instruments Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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