Cerity Partners LLC Takes Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 7,611 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $827,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,303,000 after acquiring an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 21.4% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 91,133 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $10,598,000 after purchasing an additional 16,087 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $72,120,000 after purchasing an additional 45,862 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth $868,000. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the third quarter worth $361,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $113.37 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $107.87 and a 200-day moving average of $117.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 259.62, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65. 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 $81.04 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.09.

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.