MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Position Lowered by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lessened its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 72.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,601 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 9,392 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $376,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MKSI. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $777,283,000 after buying an additional 97,392 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $322,386,000 after acquiring an additional 35,256 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $265,874,000 after purchasing an additional 237,979 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $212,515,000 after purchasing an additional 65,200 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 4.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $127,496,000 after purchasing an additional 51,519 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI traded down $1.44 on Monday, reaching $80.15. The company had a trading volume of 1,426,527 shares, compared to its average volume of 917,491. The company has a market capitalization of $5.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.63, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The company has a fifty day moving average of $98.55 and a 200-day moving average of $105.25. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $76.37 and a one year high of $147.40.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on MKSI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.08.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company 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.