Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Acquires Shares of 6,900 MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,900 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $918,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.9% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,574 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,734 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $630,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 29,837 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,069,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded down $0.86 on Monday, hitting $142.66. The stock had a trading volume of 544,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 767,672. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $131.39 and a 200-day moving average of $122.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.69. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.44 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $9.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.65.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $868.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.94 million. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 13.90% and a negative net margin of 48.24%. The firm's revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.41, for a total transaction of $35,587.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,356,426.69. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $147.86.

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.