MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Corient Private Wealth LLC

Corient Private Wealth LLC lowered its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 16.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,285 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 8,672 shares during the quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC owned about 0.07% of MKS Instruments worth $4,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Globeflex Capital L P lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Globeflex Capital L P now owns 28,638 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,990,000 after acquiring an additional 3,367 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 208.9% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 283,243 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $29,568,000 after acquiring an additional 191,561 shares during the period. Hilton Capital Management LLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,866,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at about $97,494,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note 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 note on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark reduced their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 2.6 %

MKSI stock opened at $88.17 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.37 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The stock has a market cap of $5.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.49, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The business’s 50-day moving average is $102.08 and its 200 day moving average is $106.18.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

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.