Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Acquires New Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 115,507 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,058,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $217,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in MKS Instruments by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 value 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 trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded down $3.47 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $107.69. 131,418 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 692,206. The business has a fifty day moving average of $110.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.91. The company has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 239.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.54 and a 1 year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) 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 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 company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. MKS Instruments’s revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 195.56%.

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.