Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 45,862 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 45,862 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.99% of MKS Instruments worth $72,120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. BOKF NA bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $1.28 on Friday, reaching $113.64. The stock had a trading volume of 757,513 shares, compared to its average volume of 825,316. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $107.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.14. The stock has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 249.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.63. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $80.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The company had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This represents a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.