MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Purchased by Tidal Investments LLC

Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 65.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,849 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,628 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth $50,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter worth $763,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 34,581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,759,000 after purchasing an additional 2,350 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at about $2,436,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $127,496,000 after purchasing an additional 51,519 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MKSI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.42.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $112.55 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.90 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 250.11, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $108.65 and a 200-day moving average of $116.95.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

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.