MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Acquired by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 14.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 418,894 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 51,540 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.62% of MKS Instruments worth $54,699,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter valued at about $918,000. Crestline Management LP purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,498,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 78,093 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $10,387,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,892,941 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $709,077,000 after buying an additional 39,045 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 591.3% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 86,617 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $8,910,000 after buying an additional 74,088 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,404.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $276,435. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.00.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 2.6 %

MKSI stock opened at $110.31 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $63.44 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a current ratio of 3.58. The company has a fifty day moving average of $114.21 and a 200-day moving average of $123.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of -4.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.64.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -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.