Axa S.A. Grows Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

AXA S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 141.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,279 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,521 shares during the period. AXA S.A.'s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,474,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,391,000 after buying an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 772.7% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 61,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $6,481,000 after acquiring an additional 54,406 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,650,000 after acquiring an additional 7,136 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,480,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,451,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $1.90 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $92.65. The stock had a trading volume of 290,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,073,577. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $6.25 billion, a PE ratio of 33.09, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The firm's fifty day moving average is $75.57 and its 200 day moving average is $97.07.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The business had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark dropped 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.17.

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.