Holocene Advisors LP Purchases Shares of 21,511 MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 21,511 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $2,338,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MKSI. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.4% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 17.8% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $48,303,000 after acquiring an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 14.0% during 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. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $1.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $114.60. The company had a trading volume of 509,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 776,011. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $81.04 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $107.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.57. The stock has a market cap of $7.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 254.67, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The company's revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.09.

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.