First National Advisers LLC Has $880,000 Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

First National Advisers LLC lowered its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 30.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 3,667 shares during the quarter. First National Advisers LLC's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $880,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the 4th 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 during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $90.57. The company had a trading volume of 1,315,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 882,766. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $102.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.51. The firm has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.35, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 31.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments 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 transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Company 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.