Norges Bank Makes New $85.45 Million Investment in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 818,576 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $85,451,000. Norges Bank owned 1.22% of MKS Instruments at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its position in MKS Instruments by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,952,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. 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 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI traded up $2.70 on Monday, reaching $62.99. The stock had a trading volume of 3,165,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 955,094. 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 company has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $93.72 and a 200-day moving average of $103.83.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

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.