NFJ Investment Group LLC Decreases Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

NFJ Investment Group LLC decreased its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,519 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 165 shares during the quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $63.72 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $84.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.90. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The firm has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark decreased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

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.