KBC Group NV Increases Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

KBC Group NV lifted its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 1,698.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,812 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 29,099 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 196.9% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised 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 purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $156.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded up $0.73 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $111.86. The stock had a trading volume of 553,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 861,195. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $111.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.07. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.54 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The firm has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 248.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.66.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About MKS Instruments

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.