UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Acquires 44,106 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 20.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 258,251 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 44,106 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $26,959,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $97,494,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $85,451,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $110,789,000 after buying an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,228,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,312,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.3%

MKS Instruments stock opened at $83.82 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $76.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.95. 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 firm has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its 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. The company had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. MKS Instruments’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MKSI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised MKS Instruments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.92.

MKS Instruments 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.