GAMMA Investing LLC Has $118,000 Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 46.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,131 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. BOKF NA bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.5 %

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $111.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.48 billion, a PE ratio of 247.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $110.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.91. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.54 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MKSI shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.83.

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.