Quest Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 4,973 MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,973 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $541,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 17.8% in the third quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $55,429,000 after acquiring an additional 77,025 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 418,894 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $54,699,000 after purchasing an additional 51,540 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.9% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 372,394 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,629,000 after buying an additional 17,476 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 219.5% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,445,000 after buying an additional 239,099 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 278,887 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $30,318,000 after acquiring an additional 101,439 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $114.92 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $107.01 and its 200-day moving average is $118.45. 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 1-year low of $77.25 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The stock has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 255.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.63.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. MKS Instruments’s revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 195.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.09.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a 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 dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This trade represents a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.