MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Loomis Sayles & Co. L P

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lowered its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 287,574 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 8,077 shares during the quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned approximately 0.43% of MKS Instruments worth $30,020,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $97,494,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $110,789,000 after acquiring an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,391,000 after acquiring an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,312,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $265,874,000 after purchasing an additional 237,979 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $0.51 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $80.66. 200,080 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 914,719. The company has a market cap of $5.44 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.37 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $98.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.25.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MKSI shares. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.