Vanguard Group Inc. Has $777.28 Million Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 97,392 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.06% of MKS Instruments worth $777,283,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth 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 in 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 valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC reduced 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now 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 Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $17.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $64.27. 3,264,243 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 931,926. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $95.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $104.58. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $64.03 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted 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 analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

MKS Instruments Company 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.