Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 837,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 56,588 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 1.24% of MKS Instruments worth $91,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.5% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 157,839 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $17,159,000 after buying an additional 3,779 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,216,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,311 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,846 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 65.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 31,849 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,462,000 after acquiring an additional 12,628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. 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 for the company. 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 target on the stock. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 825 shares of company stock valued at $92,853. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $103.53. The stock had a trading volume of 1,656,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 734,950. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.71 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The firm has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 230.07, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The business's fifty day moving average is $108.49 and its 200-day moving average is $116.29.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. MKS Instruments's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

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.