MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by NFJ Investment Group LLC

NFJ Investment Group LLC lowered its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 45.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,684 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 11,530 shares during the period. NFJ Investment Group LLC's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 5.9% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $547,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $949,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 62.6% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MKSI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $129.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of 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 reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Citigroup downgraded MKS Instruments from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded down $3.46 during trading on Thursday, reaching $113.37. The stock had a trading volume of 972,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 823,889. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The stock has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 259.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $81.04 and a one year high of $147.40. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $107.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.82.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

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.