Phocas Financial Corp. Makes New Investment in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Phocas Financial Corp. purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 32,218 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,502,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 17.8% in the third quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $55,429,000 after purchasing an additional 77,025 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 418,894 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $54,699,000 after buying an additional 51,540 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 4.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 372,394 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,629,000 after acquiring an additional 17,476 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 219.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,445,000 after acquiring an additional 239,099 shares during the period. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 57.2% in the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 278,887 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $30,318,000 after acquiring an additional 101,439 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup cut MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $108.10 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 240.22, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.58 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $106.86 and its 200-day moving average is $118.76.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. The trade was a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

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.