Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 208.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 283,243 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 191,561 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.42% of MKS Instruments worth $29,568,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $48,303,000 after buying an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $265,874,000 after purchasing an additional 237,979 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,391,000 after purchasing an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 7,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth about $868,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
MKS Instruments Trading Down 2.6 %
Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded down $2.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $88.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,487,823 shares, compared to its average volume of 886,283. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.37 and a 12-month high of $147.40. 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 firm has a market cap of $5.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The business's 50 day moving average is $102.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.40.
MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.
MKS Instruments Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research firms have weighed in on MKSI. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, 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 target price on the stock. Three research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.08.
View Our Latest Research Report on MKSI
Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments
In other news, 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 transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.
About MKS Instruments
(
Free Report)
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.
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