Quantinno Capital Management LP Trims Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Quantinno Capital Management LP lessened its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,995 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 14,588 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $72,120,000 after purchasing an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $55,429,000 after buying an additional 77,025 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $48,303,000 after acquiring an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 0.7% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 432,612 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $47,029,000 after acquiring an additional 3,110 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 14.0% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 418,894 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $54,699,000 after acquiring an additional 51,540 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $0.35 on Friday, reaching $112.55. 578,315 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 820,003. The company has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 250.11, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The business's 50 day moving average price is $108.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $116.95. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.90 and a twelve month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $874.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued 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 0.78%. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented 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 target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target 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. Citigroup downgraded MKS Instruments from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.42.

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.