Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Acquires 700 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,600 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $2,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, BOKF NA purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $39,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. This 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 available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,575 shares of company stock valued at $303,660. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI opened at $105.35 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $108.85 and a 200 day moving average of $119.61. The stock has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.95, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.63. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.44 and a 52-week 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.61 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.30%.

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.