7,022 Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Purchased by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,022 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $763,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 53.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. BOKF NA bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $0.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $112.55. 578,315 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 820,003. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $108.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.90 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a PE ratio of 250.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. MKS Instruments's revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of 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 research report on Monday, September 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.42.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 825 shares of company stock valued at $92,853 over the last ninety days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.