Proficio Capital Partners LLC Takes $36,000 Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 36,287 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $36,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned approximately 0.05% of MKS Instruments at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth 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 during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in MKS Instruments by 63.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $1.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $81.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 851,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 920,706. The stock has a market cap of $5.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.37 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $96.89 and a 200-day moving average of $104.86.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.43%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $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 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 transaction of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKSI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target 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 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.08.

About MKS Instruments

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.