Victory Capital Management Inc. Decreases Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 7.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,053,027 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 253,305 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 4.54% of MKS Instruments worth $331,895,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the first quarter worth $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% in the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, BOKF NA purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, 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 value of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,543.23. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $272,795. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, August 5th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup cut shares of MKS Instruments from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $1.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $112.91. 678,213 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 825,820. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $106.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.02. The firm has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 250.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.63. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $69.01 and a one year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

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.