Prudential Financial Inc. Acquires 54,406 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 772.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 54,406 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of MKS Instruments worth $6,481,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $777,283,000 after purchasing an additional 97,392 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 25,145 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,625,000 after acquiring an additional 1,992 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $1,441,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 151,025 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $15,766,000 after purchasing an additional 36,721 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth about $1,254,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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MKS Instruments Stock Down 6.2 %

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $3.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $60.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,901,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 944,585. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.93 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $94.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.25. The stock has a market cap of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.53, a PEG 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 (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced 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 predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 target price 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 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company'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 directly owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. 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.