MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Stonegate Investment Group LLC

Stonegate Investment Group LLC cut its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,077 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 205 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $226,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at approximately $918,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 78,093 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $10,387,000 after buying an additional 5,184 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in MKS Instruments by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,892,941 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $709,077,000 after buying an additional 39,045 shares during the period. Comerica Bank increased its position in MKS Instruments by 29.5% in the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 111,923 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $14,886,000 after buying an additional 25,520 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.6% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 141,187 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,436,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. The trade was 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 available at this link. In other MKS Instruments news, 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,404.18. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,575 shares of company stock valued at $303,660 in the last three months. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $102.70 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.63. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $63.44 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 3.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.38 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. 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. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.09.

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.