MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Purchased by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 174.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 47,700 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned about 0.11% of MKS Instruments worth $8,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $72,120,000 after buying an additional 45,862 shares in the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 17.8% in the third quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $55,429,000 after acquiring an additional 77,025 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $48,303,000 after purchasing an additional 30,216 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 432,612 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $47,029,000 after purchasing an additional 3,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 418,894 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $54,699,000 after purchasing an additional 51,540 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,934 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This represents a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $1.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $113.64. 757,513 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 825,316. The firm has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 252.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $80.84 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $107.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.10.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $874.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

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.