MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stake Boosted by Tidal Investments LLC

Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 65.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,849 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,628 shares during the quarter. Tidal Investments LLC's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,462,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.9% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $217,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.2% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $547,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $949,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.4% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 62.6% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target 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. Citigroup cut MKS Instruments from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $141.42.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of MKSI traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $112.55. The company had a trading volume of 578,315 shares, compared to its average volume of 820,003. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.90 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $108.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.95. 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 capitalization of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 250.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The firm's revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 owns 17,659 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 825 shares of company stock valued at $92,853. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

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.