MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stake Boosted by Point72 Asset Management L.P.

Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 86.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 321,542 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 149,160 shares during the quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. owned about 0.48% of MKS Instruments worth $33,566,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth 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. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its position 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 worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 63.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MKSI. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Benchmark cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.17.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI opened at $90.66 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $76.45 and a 200-day moving average of $96.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.38, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-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.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now 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 company insiders.

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.