State of Alaska Department of Revenue Raises Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,816 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 995 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $849,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.4% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 47,054 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,115,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 59.3% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,853 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 1,807 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.9% during the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,600 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,022,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the third quarter valued at approximately $922,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 13,537.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 10,228 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after buying an additional 10,153 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the company’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 sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $272,795. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MKSI. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.4 %

MKSI stock opened at $100.94 on Wednesday. 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 twelve month low of $67.04 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 917.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.63. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $107.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.15.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The firm 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 business’s revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current year.

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.