Texas Permanent School Fund Corp Cuts Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lessened its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 13.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,717 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 7,302 shares during the quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp owned 0.07% of MKS Instruments worth $6,231,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 143.1% during the first 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 acquiring an additional 1,260,792 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth $117,672,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,664,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at about $23,171,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 239.2% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 247,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,344,000 after buying an additional 174,675 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 at the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $276,435. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $112.14 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 2.31. The company has a market cap of $7.52 billion, a PE ratio of -4.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.64. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $63.44 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The company had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. MKS Instruments’s revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of 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. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. KeyCorp raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 target price for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.20.

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.