MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Bought by Ceredex Value Advisors LLC

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 77,025 shares during the period. MKS Instruments accounts for approximately 1.1% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned about 0.76% of MKS Instruments worth $55,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.4% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $537,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Roubaix Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 25.7% during the 3rd quarter. Roubaix Capital LLC now owns 36,804 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $4,001,000 after acquiring an additional 7,527 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,816 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $849,000 after acquiring an additional 995 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 47,054 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $5,115,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 59.3% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,853 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,807 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $1.27 during trading on Friday, reaching $100.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 739,677 shares, compared to its average volume of 842,137. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $63.64 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $107.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.21. The company has a market capitalization of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 914.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 2.31.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.61 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is presently 800.00%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,543.23. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $272,795 over the last 90 days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MKSI shares. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $141.09.

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.