HighTower Advisors LLC Has $370,000 Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 87.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,398 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 23,112 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Shellback Capital LP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,541,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $45,445,000 after buying an additional 239,099 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the third quarter valued at $21,690,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth about $23,171,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 239.2% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 247,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,344,000 after acquiring an additional 174,675 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Citigroup cut shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 825 shares of company stock valued at $92,853 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 1.0 %

MKS Instruments stock opened at $103.53 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.71 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $108.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.24. The firm has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 230.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is 195.56%.

MKS Instruments Company 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.