MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Holdings Lessened by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,706 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 3,500 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.09% of MKS Instruments worth $6,024,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,950 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 3,741 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 186,329 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $19,451,000 after buying an additional 1,534 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Benchmark lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded down $6.33 on Monday, hitting $85.49. The company had a trading volume of 693,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 930,363. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $85.07 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 30.53, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.66. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments 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.