MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP lowered its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 4.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 763,394 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 37,017 shares during the quarter. MKS Instruments makes up 0.8% of Royce & Associates LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Royce & Associates LP owned about 1.13% of MKS Instruments worth $82,989,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth approximately $379,000. Aigen Investment Management LP lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 705.3% in the 3rd quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,364,000 after buying an additional 10,989 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at $468,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 23.6% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.8% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 4,317 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of MKS Instruments stock opened at $112.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 250.93, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $106.79 and its 200 day moving average is $118.93. 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 one year low of $75.07 and a one year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. The trade was a 1.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.