MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 1.9% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 894,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 16,960 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $116,778,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,892,941 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $709,077,000 after acquiring an additional 39,045 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,490,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $461,966,000 after purchasing an additional 581,453 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 143.1% during the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,141,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $282,102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,792 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $117,672,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 620,063 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $82,468,000 after purchasing an additional 30,348 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $119.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.69. The company has a market cap of $7.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.47, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.44 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $124.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.10.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 48.24% and a positive return on equity of 13.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3.30%.

Insider Activity

In other MKS Instruments news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,404.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $280,131 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MKSI shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Bank of America started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $146.63.

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.