MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stake Cut by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP lowered its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 35.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,284,763 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 1,257,169 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 3.39% of MKS Instruments worth $248,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in 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 worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. BOKF NA acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $129.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup cut shares of MKS Instruments from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded down $0.25 on Monday, reaching $114.35. 822,861 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 822,556. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $83.60 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $107.96 and a 200 day moving average of $117.47. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 254.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.65.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 during 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 revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.