Highland Capital Management LLC Acquires New Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 12,055 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,258,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position 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 buying an additional 159 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $156.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Four 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.75.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of MKSI traded down $2.15 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $111.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 712,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 859,289. 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 12-month low of $97.54 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The stock has a market cap of $7.48 billion, a PE ratio of 246.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.66. The company's 50 day moving average is $111.76 and its 200 day moving average is $111.29.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $874.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.