Deutsche Bank AG Sells 1,394 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Deutsche Bank AG reduced its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 131,006 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,394 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $13,676,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at about $97,494,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at about $85,451,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $110,789,000 after acquiring an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,391,000 after acquiring an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,312,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 2.9%

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $91.19 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month 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. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $76.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.95. The company has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $936.00 million during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark lowered their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.17.

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.