MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 87.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,398 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 23,112 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 196.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased 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 purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. BOKF NA purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.00.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $2.71 on Monday, hitting $106.24. The stock had a trading volume of 669,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,851. The company's 50 day moving average price is $108.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $116.12. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.71 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 236.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insider Activity

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

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.