Invesco Ltd. Purchases 6,964 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,231,467 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,964 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 3.32% of MKS Instruments worth $232,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th 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. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments 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 completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MKSI shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI stock traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $63.54. The company had a trading volume of 360,269 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,830. 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 cap of $4.29 billion, a PE ratio of 22.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $85.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.21.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. On average, analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 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.