Rhumbline Advisers Buys 1,534 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 186,329 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,534 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $19,451,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Barclays PLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,391,000 after buying an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $265,874,000 after buying an additional 237,979 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 1,308.1% in the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 172,382 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,740,000 after buying an additional 160,140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $12,058,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,575 shares of company stock worth $901,868 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $107.85 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $110.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.07. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $97.54 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The firm has a market cap of $7.26 billion, a PE ratio of 38.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. As a group, research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 7.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

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.