MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Magnetar Financial LLC

Magnetar Financial LLC cut its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 72.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,688 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 24,893 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,011,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter worth $541,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $949,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at $11,053,000. Finally, Commerce Bank boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 18.8% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 34,189 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,717,000 after acquiring an additional 5,413 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $1.24 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $90.21. The stock had a trading volume of 524,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 890,107. The company has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 32.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.37 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $101.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $105.94. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.43%.

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.