Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Has $229,000 Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,254 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $229,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. State Street Corp raised its position in MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $212,515,000 after purchasing an additional 65,200 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,120,000 after buying an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $55,429,000 after buying an additional 77,025 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,303,000 after acquiring an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in MKS Instruments by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 432,612 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $47,029,000 after acquiring an additional 3,110 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. 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 target for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.42.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $112.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.90 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $117.04. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. MKS Instruments’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were 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 was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their position. 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 corporate insiders.

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.