Point72 Hong Kong Ltd Grows Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Point72 Hong Kong Ltd grew its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,689 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,285 shares during the period. MKS Instruments comprises approximately 0.8% of Point72 Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd owned approximately 0.18% of MKS Instruments worth $12,912,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 24,900.0% in the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MKSI shares. Benchmark lowered 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.17.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI opened at $93.94 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $75.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.03. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

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.