977 Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Bought by Whittier Trust Co.

Whittier Trust Co. bought a new position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 977 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.9% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth $541,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $949,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $72,120,000 after buying an additional 45,862 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its position in MKS Instruments by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 91,133 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $10,598,000 after purchasing an additional 16,087 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock opened at $88.17 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.49, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $102.08 and its 200 day moving average is $106.16. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.37 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 31.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

About MKS Instruments

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.