Stonegate Investment Group LLC Acquires 334 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aigen Investment Management LP boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 705.3% during the 3rd quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,364,000 after acquiring an additional 10,989 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $1,599,000. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,303,000 after purchasing an additional 30,216 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $265,874,000 after buying an additional 237,979 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position 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 worth $31,391,000 after buying an additional 292,226 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $107.34 on Wednesday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.54 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $111.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.89. The company has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 238.53, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 195.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 report on Thursday, October 3rd. Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.75.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.