Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Decreases Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD reduced its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,341,428 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 937,206 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned 4.96% of MKS Instruments worth $348,812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on MKSI shares. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Benchmark lowered their target price 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI stock traded down $2.54 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $71.44. 1,461,017 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,037,983. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The stock has a market cap of $4.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The stock's 50-day moving average is $79.28 and its 200 day moving average is $98.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. As a group, analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 31.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.