4,461 Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Bought by Trust Point Inc.

Trust Point Inc. acquired a new position in 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 acquired 4,461 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $466,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $2.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $109.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 652,707 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,865. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $111.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $110.78. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $97.54 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 243.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

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.