MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP lessened its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 63.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,302 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 30,358 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $2,259,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 143.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at about $23,171,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 174,675 shares in the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 41.2% in the second quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 432,858 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,523,000 after buying an additional 126,200 shares during the period. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 545,516 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $56,117,000 after buying an additional 90,956 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, August 8th. KeyCorp raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $105.86 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a PE ratio of -3.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.63. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $112.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 2.31. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $63.44 and a 12-month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -3.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,575 shares of company stock valued at $303,660. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.