Royce & Associates LP lessened its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 739,444 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 23,950 shares during the period. MKS Instruments makes up 0.7% of Royce & Associates LP's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Royce & Associates LP owned about 1.10% of MKS Instruments worth $77,191,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Globeflex Capital L P increased its position in MKS Instruments by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Globeflex Capital L P now owns 28,638 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,990,000 after purchasing an additional 3,367 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 208.9% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 283,243 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $29,568,000 after buying an additional 191,561 shares during the period. Hilton Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,866,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 24.9% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $630,000 after acquiring an additional 1,205 shares during the period. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at $97,494,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, 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 SEC, which is available at this link. 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents 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 corporate insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.08.
View Our Latest Research Report on MKSI
MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.1 %
Shares of MKSI traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $90.57. The company had a trading volume of 1,315,682 shares, compared to its average volume of 882,766. The stock has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The company's 50 day moving average price is $102.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.51. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.37 and a 52 week high of $147.40.
MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.
MKS Instruments Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.
MKS Instruments Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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